Teacher's Pet
by koibito396
Summary: Chloe Jordan was just a teacher in a small Kentucky town fresh out of college and on her first job. Then Zombies invade her hometown. It's just her, her brother, and two of her students trying to survive. Until they meet a certain prison group. AU because Merle doesn't die. Multiple pairings. Such as MerleXOC, DarylXCarol, MaggieXGlenn. M for later chapters.
1. Schools out

**A/N : I do not own TWD. If I did, you can bet a few character would still be alive. 3 As it is I'm going to have Merle still be alive. I don't know how much in detail I will go about the whole governor thing or if my character will encounter the main character before/during/after the fight with the governor. Also, I don't know when exactly the outbreak started so I'm going to assume it was in the fall because Carl was in school when Rick got shot. Then, when they are at the Greene farm they are preparing for it to get colder. So I'm going to start off in the fall.**  
**I'm going to go ahead and apologize for the length between updates. I am a horrible procrastinator. I do love to write though. I hope you enjoy. This has been proofread by me. It has not been beta'd though. If anyone would like to volunteer to proofread my stuff it would be appreciated. Constructive criticism is welcome. No flaming though, please.**

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"Alright everyone, settle down. I know you are excited about our trip to the gym this evening. We still have Letter Recognition before that. Get out your notebooks, please." Chloe Jordan addressed her students. She gazed out at them, taking a moment to reflect on each student. This was her first year as a kindergarten teacher. She had been terrified that she would do something wrong. Her fears were put to rest that first day on the job, however. Her students couldn't have been any better. They were all attentive and eager to learn with just the right about of spunk.

"Mrs. Jordan! I forgot my pencil box at home." A little girl with raven black hair raised her hand. Chloe glanced at her. She had her hair in two braids today with little white ribbons on the ends.

"Janie, does your your sister have one you can use?" Chloe glanced towards the little girls twin. Her hair was in a single braid with a white ribbon on the end. She sighed.

"Janie, you know momma said not to take it out of your backpack." She got another pencil out of her own box and handed it to her sister.

"But Jackie I couldn't find my favorite crayons. You know the ones with the little bears on the label that Daddy bought us." Janie took the pencil happily and began doodling in her book, not even waiting for Chole to tell them what to do.

Chloe smile at the two girls. They reminded her of her and her twin brother. She had always been the serious one like Jackie. Everything had to be in it's place. Zachary on the other hand... He smile widened just thinking and Zachary as a little boy. He had been so full of eagerness for everything. He wanted to know everything and how it worked. One time, she'd caught him poking a beehive with a stick because he wanted to see how quick it would take them to protect their home.

"Thank you Jackie for letting your sister borrow a pencil. Now, do you know what letter we left off on yesterday?" She could see the girls attitude change at the question.

"Letter G." She sat up a little straighter as if answering the question was the most important thing.

"Mrs. Jordan! I have to go potty." A little boy towards the back had his hand as high in the air as he could manage.

"Billy you just came back from lunch. Why didn't you go then?" She sighed. "Does anyone else have to go?" Hands went up all over the classroom. "Alright, we'll take a group trip down to the potties. We'll have to hustle on the letter G when we get back though."

She lined up her students and walked them down to the bathroom at the end of the hall. A fellow teacher also had his students there so she told her little boys to go with him and she went with the girls to supervise. She was helping one of her students reach the sink when she began hearing screams from the hallway.

"Stay right here girls. Do not leave this restroom unless I tell you to." She rushed to the door and out into the hallway. There were parents everywhere looking for their children, calling names, bursting into tears as they clutched them close. "What's going on?!"

"There's been an emergency." One woman said. "There are people out in the streets attacking other people. They...they rip them open and eat them." She gagged. "Do you know where Samantha is? I think she's in your class. Please, I need to get her home where it's safe."

"I'm sorry ma'am. I can't let you take her unless you sign her out first." Chloe was reeling from what the woman said. She backed up in front of the bathroom door trying to keep the woman from getting inside.

"There's no time. Those people out there are monsters. I need to get her home now." She shoved Chloe out of the way and wrenched the door open. She came back out with a little girl in tow who was clearly terrified of the way her mother was acting.

"Ma'am! I cannot let you take her!" Chloe put herself in front of the woman and the front doors. Something slammed on the door behind her. Her senses went into overdrive. She could smell rotting flesh, hear broken moans and screams, feel the hairs on the nape of her neck stand up. She turned slowly. A scream locked itself in her throat. On the other side of the door was the male teacher who had taken her male students to the bathroom. He was missing a chunk from the side of his neck. "Oh Jared..."

"You see! I told you! Look what they done to him!" The woman clutched her child closer. "I...I have to get us out of here!" She took off down the hallway toward another exit.

Chloe stood transfixed. This couldn't be happening. "Jared..." She put her hand to the glass. His eyes locked on hers and he mouthed something, 'The kids' it looked like. Chloe's heart began beating faster. The kids! How could she have forgotten?! Just as she was turning to go back to the kids she saw someone walk up to Jared. No. Not someone. Something. This thing was rotted and decayed. She watch in horror and is sunk it's teeth into Jared's shoulder. She fled back to the bathroom with his screams still in her ear.

"Mrs. Jordan what is going on?" One of her little girls asked as she came back into the bathroom. Chloe noted a few more was missing that just Samantha. "Mommies and Daddies keep coming in and taking us." Chloe clutched the girl tighter and counted. Five. Six of her girls had been taken by their parents or wondered off.

"Follow me closely. We are getting the boys and going back to the class room." She looked out the door, a little relieved to see some of the panic driven crowd had thinned out. "Boys!" She yelled into the bathroom. Seven little boys came out wide eyed and frightened. "Alright, you all follow closely to me. We are going to the classroom. Stay quiet please." She ushered them back down the hallway.

When they reached the room she did another head count. Eleven kids. She had started with 23 today. "Alright. Take out your coloring packets and begin coloring on the letter G pages. I'll be right back." She stepped out the door and locked it behind her. She made her way briskly back down to the bathrooms. She checked in the girls to make sure it was empty then made her way over to the boys. Inside were three little boys huddled in the corner.

"Do you know where Mr. James is?" One little boy asked quietly. "He told us to stay here and he never came back."

An image popped into Chloe's head of Jared. Jared James had taught first grade a few classrooms down the hall from hers. They had went for dinner after school several times together. Tears began to cloud her eyes. "He's... ah... Just come with me boys." She took one by the hand and ushered the other two in front of her. "Is anyone in the classroom with the other students?" One of them nodded and she felt relieved. She took them back to her own classroom and had them sit with her students.

"Attention all staff!" The overhead speakers crackled to life. "In light of the recent events school is canceled. Parents are picking their students up now Please keep students in their classrooms until parents arrive to pick them up. Close all the windows and pull the shades. Keep your classroom doors locked unless a parent is picking up a child." The silence that followed was eerie. Chloe looked around at her students.

Within minutes another rush of parents swept through to pick up children. Chloe kept track of each child, making sure only the right parents picked up each child. Her mind kept going back to Jared at the doors. That...thing biting into him. Jared's plea for the kids still tugged at her heart. She sat down at her desk and put her head in her hands. Tears began slipping from behind her eyelids. How was she going to leave now that those things were out there? Would Zachary know to come get her? She heard sniffling from some where nearby and her hear shot up.

"It's all right Janie. I'm sure momma will come get us. She always does." Jackie and Janie where huddled in the corner with tears running down both their faces.

"Girl." Chloe got up and went to them. "I'm sure you are right. Your momma is probably on her way right now. Don't worry." She sat with them, pulling them to her. She made shhhing noises and stroked their hair until the settled down. They were quiet for several minutes before the door swung open.

A man, decayed and with one arm missing, shambled into the room. Immediately the smell of rotting flesh was almost to much. When he caught wind of the girls in the corner he picked up speed. His teeth began gnashing together and his groans got louder. Chloe jumped up, pulling the girls with her. She shoved them behind her towards the supply closet. She frantically pushed them in and slammed the door. "Girls. I want you to lock the door. Lock it now and don't open it unless I tell you it's okay." She heard the snick of the lock and turned back around.

The copse was right in front of her. She could see the yellow, bloodshot eyes. Shoving him aside, she lost her balance and pitched forward between two of the tables. Panic gripped her even tighter. She was just looking behind her to see where he was when a gunshot rang out. Blood and flesh splattered the wall and the body dropped down at her feet. Her eyes quickly darted towards the door and relief swept through her. "Zachary..." She mumbled before darkness surrounded her and she collapsed.

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**A/N- There it is. The first chapter. I have a few more written in storage here on my computer. I will take into consideration and suggestions or requests. The rating on my story is M for later chapters. There will be sexual content and Dixon mouth. I'm thinking about doing several pairings here. Thanks for reading. If you liked it, please review. :)**


	2. No Way

**A/N - Well, here's the second chapter. As before, I do not own TWD or any content therein. I just enjoy writing fanfiction. 3**

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"Chloe!" Zachary rushed to her and clutched her to him. He brushed the hair from her face and examined it closely. No scratches. He quickly checked the rest of her exposed skin. Nothing. She was okay. "Chloe you have to listen to me. Wake up. We don't have much time." He shook her lightly.

"Zachary?" Chloe slowly opened her eyes. He memory was fogged. What was she doing on the floor of her classroom and why was Zachary holding her? "What are you doing?" She sat up and held her head in her hands. Why did she have a pounding headache?

"Chloe we have to get out of here. There is a whole swarm of those things coming up from town. If we leave now we should be able to make it to the house and grab some stuff before they make it that far." Zachary helped Chloe to her feet.

Chloe stared at the body laying at her feet. A chill ran down her spine as the memories flooded in. That thing tried to get her and the girls. The girls! Chloe ran to the closet door and pulled on the handle. Locked. "Girls. Girls? Are you all right. You can open up now." She stepped back as the door slowly creaked open.  
Jackie and Janie stepped over the body and latched onto Chloe. Both were sobbing. Chloe held them to her while she petted their hair. She looked over her shoulder at her brother. "Their mother hasn't shown up to get them yet. I can't leave them here."

"Chloe, we can't take them. Do you know how hard it's going to be to get out on our own? We can't risk taking two little girls with us." Zachary went to the door and looked out into the hallway.

"I'm not leaving them, Zachary. If you want me to go then they go with us. When I became a teacher I promised to help my students. At the time I thought it was just to help them learn but now I know different. I can't leave them here to die. They wouldn't have a chance against a thing like that!" She waved one hand in the direction of the corpse on the floor.

"Chloe..." Zachary turned to look at his sister. He knew that stubborn look well. She meant what she said. She wouldn't leave without those two girls. He looked them over closely. They looked to be about five or six. No way they would survive long. However, they had to be moving quick. There was a bunch of those things coming towards the school and several already lingering outside. If he wanted any hope of getting out of there alive with his sister he would would have to agree to take the girls. He sighed. "Fine. Hurry. Get what you need and lets go." He went out into the hallway.

"Alright girls. Grab your things. I'm going to get some stuff out of the closet. You hear any noises and you run back to me." Chloe went to her desk and emptied her tote bag on the table. She shuffled through the papers, books, and folders and stuffed the lesson plans and workbooks back in it. She ran to the closet and gathered up paints, markers, crayons, pencils, pencil sharpeners, paper, and glue. When her bag became full she grabbed an extra tote bag off the shelf and filled it too.

"Chloe. What the fuck are you doing? I'm trying to get us out of here alive and you are gathering arts and crafts stuff?" Zachary glowered at his sister. He hardly ever raised his voice with her but now as not the time to baby her.

"Those girls are only 5 years old. If what ever is going on out there isn't solved soon, I am going to be responsible for their education. Besides, this stuff here will help keep them settled down." She held up one of the bags. "I need to stop by some of the other classrooms to gather up work books." She brushed past Zachary and took each girl by the hand. She waited at the door for Zachary to give her the all clear.

Chloe went through several classrooms and gathered workbooks and lesson plans that had been abandoned by the other teachers. She kept the girls in her line of sight at all times and stayed with in shouting distance of Zachary. When she was satisfied with her collection she took the girls back out to the hallway to meet her brother.

"Chloe get back!" Zachary slammed the door in her face and was out of sight in seconds. Chloe could hear a scuffle and the sound of metal hitting metal. She pulled the girls with her to the teachers desk the crouched down behind it. She closed her eyes and offered up a prayer for Zachary's safety as she tried to comfort the girls. She jerked up when the door slammed open. "Chloe, grab the girls and lets go. They've found a way into the school."

Chloe pushed the girls ahead of her this time, putting them in between herself and Zachary. They rushed down the hallways towards the cafeteria in hopes of the emergency door being unblocked. No such luck. There were two of those things lumbering around between the tables. Chloe watched in silent horror as Zachary stabbed one of them in the eye and kicked the other ones legs out from under her. He motioned for Chloe to follow him to the door as he checked it out. She could still hear the moans from the one on the floor as it tried to crawl it's way towards them. She pushed the girls along quickly.

"Is your car here?" Zachary whispered harshly as he led them out the door and around the side of the building. Chloe nodded and fished her keys out of her pocket. When she looked back up she saw one of those things shuffle around the building, catch sight of them, and start towards them with a faster pace. She put her hands over the girls mouth to stop the sounds of sobbing and pulled them closer. Zachary dispatched the thing quickly and edged up to the back corner of the building to look around. She saw him stiffen as he looked from side to side.

"There's a bunch of them back there. Maybe seven or so." He whispered to Chloe when he came back to them. "But your car is parked toward the end. It's by itself for the most part. There is one car two spots over towards the crosswalk. The things are beyond it. If we hurry we should be able to make it to your car and get it unlocked before they catch us. Girls, you have to be really quiet and run fast. If you drop your stuff do not stop to pick it up." He eyed the girls warily.

He took the keys from Chloe and crept back up to the corner. He hit the button to unlock the car hoping Chloe had finally changed the battery. He heard the soft click of the locks and glanced towards the creatures. Only one had began making it's way toward the noise. "Alright girls. There's one shuffling toward the car. I'll take care of it while you three get to the car and get in. It's already unlocked." He waited for them to creep closer then ran towards the thing. He tackled it to the ground and stabbed it in the head twice.

Chloe pushed the girls towards the car and yanked open the door. She made them climb in quickly and slammed the door. She was just slamming her own when Zachary climbed into the drivers seat ad started the car. He threw it in reverse and floored it, changing to drive as soon as he was clear. "What are those things?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know. I just... they're dead. Those things that are walking around are dead people. I don't know how or why but they are. Mr. McKenzie had a accident this morning and it was really bad. He didn't make it. Mrs. McKenzie lay him out in the spare room and cleaned him up. She wanted to have the funeral there with out the help of the funeral home. You know how old fashioned they were. A few hours later, Mitch and I heard a scream from the house and ran up to see what was going on. Mr. McKenzie had Mrs. McKenzie pinned to the floor ripping her throat out. His eyes were yellowed and bloodshot. His skin was already sagging and grayish. Mitch took him out but it was already to late for the Mrs. We called 911 but the operator said there was no one available to help because it was happening all over the city." Zachary glanced at his sister. She was pale and trembling. She was clutching one of her tote bags to her like her life depended on it. Hell, for all he knew it did.  
"Are you taking us home?" One of the girls from the back asked. Her voice wobbled and she sniffled.

"Oh sweetie. I don't know if we can. I mean..." Chloe began but trailed off. "Can we Zachary. Can we try to get them home to their mother?" She looked to him expectantly.

"No. We can not. I don't even know where they live. We have to get our stuff and get out. This town isn't safe any more." He slammed his brakes to avoid hitting a dog that ran across the road.

"Please. They just live about a mile up the road from the house. I drive them home after school sometime when their mother can't make it." She pleaded.

"Fine. We'll get our stuff first. If we have time after that we'll run by their house and drop them off. We have to get out of town, Chloe. I don't think you quite understand how bad this is." The car came to a stop on the curb outside of their home.

They got out and Chloe gathered the girls while Zachary opened the door. Things in this area of town were normal compared to the things in town. They lived in a cul-de-sac about 17 minutes outside of the main part of town. "Girls. Help yourselves to what ever you want out of the kitchen while I go get some stuff from upstairs." Chloe shut and locked the door.

While up stairs she grabbed a duffel bag from the closet and went through her clothes. She selected about four good durable outfits. Next she emptied her underwear drawer into the duffel bag. She found an extra pair of tennis shoes and several pairs of socks and packed them up in the side compartment. She looked around her room. Was there anything else she wanted to bring? She grabbed a photo album from the nightstand and a box of stationary from the desk. She zipped up her duffel and went back down to the girls.

"Here." A small pistol was placed in her hand and she looked at Zachary. A silent moment passed between them before she nodded and placed it in the back of her pants and pulled her shirt over it. She watched the girls for a moment. Jackie was making peanut butter sandwiches. She cut one in half diagonally and placed it in front of Janie. She poured two glasses of milk and handed one to her as well. She cleaned up and sat down next to her sister. The both ate in silence.

"Pack up the canned food and anything you think we'll eat in the next few days. I'll go get the camping gear and load it in the car. I'm going to separate it into stuff we really need and stuff we can live with out in case we have to ditch the car." Zachary popped his head around the door frame and frowned at Chloe. "Hurry up. We don't have a much time."

Chloe grabbed some of the camping backpacks out of the hall closet and filled them with their survival food and their canned foods. She got out their small propane stove and set it aside with the food. As an after thought she grabbed her stash of candy from it's hiding spot in the pantry and stuffed into one of the backpacks. She smiled at the girls. Jackie held up a can opener and a bag of plastic silverware. He smile widened as she took the items and added them to the pile. She hugged Jackie, then Janie, and they headed to the door.

"There is two of them up by the Johnson's house but that's the only two I've seen so far." Zachary sagged against the car and looked to his sister. "This is like something out of an old zombie movie. The dead coming back and eating people. I thank God I got to you in time at the school." He smiled fondly at her for a moment then looked back up towards the end of the street. He took the stuff from her hands and loaded it into the trunk.

"Girls get in the car with Zachary. I'll be right back." Chloe pushed them towards her brother and disappeared into the house. A few minutes later she was back out with another duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She locked the door and climbed in the car, setting the duffel bag in her lap. She looked over at Zachary. "Momma's wedding dress." She said with a wobbly smile. "I couldn't leave it Zach. It's all we have left of her besides pictures."

Zachary nodded. She only called him Zach when something was really upsetting her. He couldn't deny her this. Their mother had been gone for nearly seven years now. She died when they were Sophomores in high school. Chloe never got to say goodbye. That dress was all they were allowed to keep of their mothers things. Social workers had placed them in separate foster homes for several months. As soon as they turned 16, Zachary had gotten emancipated and dropped out of school to get a job. He had rented this house off the Johnson's son and convinced the courts he could take care of both him and Chloe. They had been together ever since. No. He couldn't tell her to leave the dress.

Chloe watched the emotions play out on Zachary's face. She knew what he was thinking about. She was thinking about it too. He had took good care of her. He had sacrificed his life to make sure she got what she wanted out of hers. She had graduated with honors and went to college. Zachary had worked job after job until the McKenzie's had hired him. Life had gotten better after that. They became like family to Zachary and Chloe. She was going to miss them dearly.

"Alright. Now where do the girls live?" Zachary pulled away from the curb. They didn't have time for that now. Those things down the street had started making their way towards them. He followed Chloe's directions for a few minutes and pulled up outside a brick house nestled on the end of street. 'Cozy' he thought.

They all got out and made their way to the door. Jackie pulled a necklace out from under her dress and unlocked the door to let them in. "Momma! Momma are you here?" She let go of her sister and went from room to room looking for her mother.

Chloe wondered through the rooms too. She made it to the kitchen before she notices the bloody smears on the walls. A chill ran through her. She followed them down the hall and into the laundry room. What she saw made her blood run cold and her feet glue to the ground. She couldn't move. She couldn't make a sound. There, in the floor of the laundry room, she found Mrs. Smith. He body was almost mutilated beyond recognition except for her face. Her face was eerily untouched except for a few blood smears. Her through, stomach, arms, and legs were ripped apart. Pieces of flesh were strewn about and blood was everywhere. This is not the way she had hoped to find the girls' mother.

"Mrs. Jordan I can't find..." Jackie came to a sudden halt next to Chloe. "Momma!" The girl shrieked as she ran towards the body. Chloe barely caught her before she reached the mutilated corpse.

"Zachary! Grab Janie and do not let her in here!" She clutched Jackie to her and began backing down the hallway as the girl sobbed "Momma! Momma!" the whole way. When she got back to the living room she found Zachary clutching a bewildered Janie. The little girl burst into tears at the sight of her sister and began struggling to get to her.

Chloe let go of Jackie so Janie could embrace her. They started sobbing harder as Jackie brokenly let Janie know that Momma would not be able to care for them. Tears flooded Chloe's eyes and she knelt down next to the girls. She wrapped her arms around both of them. "I'm so sorry girls. I'm so sorry. I'll take care of you now. I promise I will."

Zachary went down the hall and covered the body with a sheet. When he made it back to the living room he pulled Chloe off to the side. "We can't take care of them. We have to look out for ourselves now. I'm sorry they don't have any one to care for them but we can't."

"I'm not leaving them. They have no one else now. How could you even think about leaving them! They're kids! They would never survive with out us." Chloe's green eyes heated up and her whispers got more heated. "Did you see what happened to their mother! Do you think they would escape that? No. They're so little. They could defend themselves."

Zachary stepped back. "I have to protect you Chloe. I have to keep you safe. I can't take on responsibility for them too! Do you know how hard it's going to be with just the two of us? Add on two kids and the danger triples." He pleaded with her.

"I'm not leaving them here. They are going with us. There is no way you can make me leave them." She closed the small gap in between them. "Don't you see Zachary? They are just like us. They are alone in the world now. They only have each other. They need us. No one else can help them."

"Chloe..." He sighed. She had a point. Once again he could tell she wouldn't leave with out the kids. "Get them some clothes. Not to many. We already have a car load. They may each have one stuffed animal or toy. Grab some of the children's medicines from the cabinets and I'll grab canned foods from the cabinet. You have ten minutes." He walked away.

She led the girls to their bedroom, careful to avoid stepping anywhere on the sheet Zachary had placed over the body. They each had a small bag to put clothes in. She let them pick out their favorite outfit then filled the rest of the space in their bags with practical clothing. Jeans, t-shirts, underwear, socks, and extra shoes. They each got bears off their beds. Jackie's bear was dark green with a little white heart sewn onto its chest and Janie's was light pink with a little white heart sewn in the same spot. Her next stop was the bathroom where she fished around for children's medicine to pack. They met Zachary back in the living room with a minute to spare.

"Lets go. There is a zombie in the backyard and I think he's noticed the house isn't empty more." He grabbed a picture frame off the wall and ushered them out the front door to the car. After everyone was safely inside he handed the picture to Chloe. It was a picture of the girls with their mother. Chloe smiled over at him. As they were driving away she glanced in the mirror and noticed that the zombie was emerging from the house. There's no way she would have left the girls because there was no way they could have defended themselves against that.

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**A/N - I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I know I've kind of drug out the first day. I just wanted to lay some ground work for the characters and get them all on the road together. 3 As before, if you liked it please review. Suggestions and requests are welcome and will be taken into consideration. No flaming please. If you have any questions or if I need to answer one in the story, fell free to PM me.**


	3. Alright

**A/N- I don't own TWD or TWD universe. There are things I don't know. Such as what year all this started. If any of you know please tell me. :) Any information would be helpful. I decided to go ahead and release this chapter and chapter 4. I figure not many people will want to read until they reach the prison group. So enjoy!  
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"It's been months Zachary. It's snowing! Can't we just pick a house and stay in it for the winter? I can't keep dragging the girls around in the snow." Chloe hugged her jacket closer to her body. When she breathed she could see her breath come out as a white cloud. She could just imagine how much colder it was going to get. They all only had light jackets and were sleeping in the car. They didn't even dare run the heater because fuel was so precious these days.

"You know we can't stay stationary. The longer we are in one place the greater the chance those things will get us." Zachary gave her that look he usually just held for the girls.

"Yes but it's December. It's only going to get colder. We haven't seen one of those things in three days. Maybe they don't like the cold either. We could pick a house and spend the winter. Please Zachary. The girls are more likely to get sick now that we are traipsing about in the snow." She looked back to the car where the girl were huddled in the back seat with some children's books they had found a few weeks earlier. She smiled slightly to herself as she remembered the looks on their faces when she handed them to them.

"Chloe. We are safer on the road. If those things start getting to close we can drive away. In a house would would have to worry about being caught unaware, making it to the car with all four of us alive, then driving away." He let out an exasperated huff. He crossed his arms and stared her down.

"We can board up the windows and doors. We can live in just one room of what ever house. That way all our stuff and all of us are together. Park the car next to the door so it's ready when we are. We could even leave most of our stuff in the car until it's needed. Please Zachary. It's almost Christmas." She did her best pouty face knowing he was more inclined to give in.

He studied her. Besides not wanting to leave the girls she hadn't bucked on anything else. When he made a plan, she followed it to the best of her abilities. There had been a few times her quick wit and watchful eyes had saved them. Maybe she was right. It was almost Christmas and their birthday to boot. "What day is it?"

"Hang on." She pulled her little calender out of her pocket. "It's the 17th." She looked at him hopefully. He wasn't usually interested in the day. He was usually just interested in making sure they made it to tomorrow. She had to admit, though, that was best.

"Fine. There's a town up ahead. I found it yesterday on my scouting trip. If I remember correctly there is a small brick building on the edge of town. The sign said something about a day care. We can stay there. It looked like the best option." He dug his hand through his hair and began mentally preparing for the move. "We'll go most of the way tonight. We should still stay in the car tonight though. It's getting dark and I want to scout the inside of the building before we take the girls in."

Chloe threw her arms around her brothers neck and hugged him tight. "Thank you so much! I promise we'll do everything we can to make this easier on you. We'll stay quiet and we'll keep the place clean." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and made her way back to the car. He could hear the delight filled tone of the girls as they were told about the move.

They were on the road towards the next town with in five minutes. He looked down at the gas hand. A quarter of a tank. It was a good thing they were settling for the winter. He could siphon enough gas to get them on full and fill the jugs back up with in a few days. They wouldn't have to worry about gas for at least two months. Probably more. He hated to admit it, but Chloe might just have been on the right track with finding a place to stay. It would be easier than moving around every other day. He parked on the side of the road about a quarter mile up the road from the town. They would spend the night here. He would walk into town in the morning to scope out the building and the surrounding area better.

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"Wake up sunshine!" Zachary pecked on Chloe's window. He watched her wake with a start and swing her knife around in front of her.

"What the heck Zachary?!" She glanced back to make sure the girls were still asleep and got out of the car. "Why would you do that?"

He ignored the knife still clutched in front of her. "I've already been into town. The building was relatively clear. There where only two of the things in there. One looked like it had been and older woman. The other was a teenage helper maybe. I don't know. There wasn't any children, thank God. I got rid of both of them and drug them out to the yard. We can get the girls in as soon as they wake up." He put his arms around her and hugged her to him.

She pushed him back just enough to put the knife back in its sheath then leaned back into his chest. They were going to have a place to stay for the winter. A few months in once place sounded like heaven right now. Tears began gathering in her eyes and she moved away from Zachary to rub them with her fists.

The back car door opened and the girls slowly got out. "What's wrong Momma Chloe?" Janie tugged on her shirt. Her eyes held the promise of tears as well.

"Oh nothing girls. Nothing's wrong. Something is very right. Zachary went to the building this morning to make sure it was safe for us and he said that we can go there now." She hugged them to her. They had been on the road for about a month when Janie had asked if she was their new momma. She had told them no, she wasn't their momma. No one would be able to take her place. However, she would be taking care of them and making sure they were okay. Janie had replied with 'That's what momma's do.' They've been calling her Momma Chloe ever since.

"Alright. Everyone back in the car. We need to get you girls settled in so Chloe and I can scavenge for the boards and some nails." Zachary ushered everyone back into the car and started it up. It wasn't until they were on the road that he heard Jackie speak up from the back seat.

"Aren't you going to need hammers too?" Smart ass kid.

* * *

"There." He leaned back and wiped sweat from his brow. That was the last window boarded up. Chloe was going behind him and pinning blankets, sheets, towels, anything they could find over the boarded windows in hopes of keeping warmth in and light in. "This ones ready." He watched her pin a thick towel oven the window. "We need to make a run over into town. We're low on food and supplies. You wanna go with me on this one? I think the girls will be safe enough now that the windows and doors are covered."

Chloe glanced up at him. "Are you sure it's wise to leave them by their selves?" She worried her bottom lip with her teeth.

"There is only one way in or out and that is through the garage door. We can lift it up just enough to slide under. The girls can use the flashlight and color in those coloring books in your bag. We need to go while we have day light left." He was already emptying their backpacks and her tote bags.

Chloe looked over to the girls who were curled up on the sofa in a blanket. Could she leave them here by their selves? Would they be okay? It was true that it was as safe as they could make it right now. There hadn't been any of those things out wondering around in several days. Could she take a chance on something happening to her and Zachary though? The girls would all alone then.

"You can go Momma Chloe. I'll take care of Janie." Jackie spoke up. She edged out from under the blanket and gave Chloe a hug. "We'll be okay. You and Uncle Zachary made it safe here for us. There is some peanut butter and crackers left. I can feed us if you are gone to long. Besides, you'll be close enough to still look towards us in between buildings." She looked up at Chloe with eyes that were wise beyond her five years of age.

"Okay. If anything happens, anything at all, you lock the door to the garage and push that table over in front of it." She gave her a kiss on the forehead then went and gave Janie a kiss too. "We'll be back as soon as we can. It's safer with both of us going." She picked up her backpack and her tote bags as was out the door after Zachary.

They walked in silence to the building several yards away. He motioned for her to stay back while he edged around the corner. Nothing. He motioned for to come forward. "Now when we go in, I'll go first and you cover me." He waited for her to nod the slowly pushed the door open. Nothing. Either this place was closed when the infection hit this town or everyone ran for it. Either way it was good news for them.

It looked like a small hardware store. "I guess it would've been easier to come here to get the nails then up the road to the building supply." Zachary walked around to make sure it was empty of zombies then sat his bags down on the counter. "Make sure to get things that will be useful to us. Flashlights, batteries, knives, things along that line. I'll go in back and see if the owner lefts any guns when he left."

Chloe began searching the shelves. It looked like they were mostly in tact. Had no one scavenged here yet? Why not? Something suddenly didn't feel right. She looked uneasily over her shoulder then began filling her backpack with the batteries on the shelf. When she had all of those she picked up a few different sized flashlights. The girls would love those two little ones! She heard Zachary come back up front and start on the other side of the store.

"There was a pistol and assault rifle. I wonder what made the man want to carry an assault rifle in a town like this?" He rummaged around on some shelves, adding things to his backpack as he went.

"Something isn't right here Zachary. This place has hardly been touched. All the other towns we've been in have all been picked over. We had to really look hard to find things to help us." Chloe filled the tote back with small propane tanks. She placed several boxes of matches and some lighters on top. She set the bag by the door. She noticed some rain slickers on pegs on the wall. She added several of those to her backpack, making sure to grab some children's sizes.

"I think we're about done here. Lets set the full bags by the door and go on to the building across the road. We have enough day light to scavenge there and then get back to the girls. I think it's a dollar store of some kind." Zachary placed his backpack by the door. He grabbed the remaining backpack and tote bag. He held the door open as he waited for Chloe to zip up her backpack and sit it with the other full bags.

They were halfway across the street when Chloe felt goosebumps spread over her skin. She stopped and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Not that an abandoned street in the middle of a zombie apocalypse was normal, but it was what they were used to is this world. She startled when Zachary touched her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I just... it doesn't feel right. I told you before." She glanced around once more then followed him on to the dollar store. Zachary pushed on the door and it opened. Chloe followed him in and made sure the door closed quietly behind them. She didn't know what was putting her on edge but she wasn't taking any chances. She looked around her slowly. A gasp escaped her when she noticed there were bodies piled up around the cash register. Not terribly mutilated ones. Just badly decayed ones. They must have been here a while because there wasn't even a smell.

"Someone must have already been in this store. It looks like some things have been picked through. Those bodies have been piled up to. They didn't just fall there." He went closer and examined one of them. "They have bullet holes in their heads. Someone put them out of their misery." He backed up and stood by Chloe. For a few minutes they just stared at the bodies. There were a lot of them.

"Let's just get what we need and go." Chloe rubbed her arms. The goosebumps were back. This wasn't right. Why had the bodies been piled up here and not out in the woods or even the street? She went down the aisles looking for things they might need. She needed personal items for sure. Tampons, pads, deodorant, shampoo, soap. She needed it all. She was out of most of it. She filled her bag then went down the aisle of children's toys. It was almost Christmas. The girls could really use a few things. She picked out a few puzzles and added them to her bag. She looked through the selection of coloring books and selected a few of those as well. She turned to look at the dolls and stuffed animals.

There, on the top shelf, sat a large box with a little table and two chair depicted on it. They were decorated with fairys. Tinkerbell maybe? It would be perfect for the girls. "Zachary." She called out in a hushed whisper. He popped around the corner with his knife drawn. When he saw that nothing was wrong he sheathed it. "Can we get that for the girls for Christmas? We can leave it in the garage until then." She pointed up to the table.

Zachary sized it up. "We may not be able to take it with us when we leave in the spring." He took the box down.

"That's alright. At least they would get to have it for now." Chloe watched him take it to the door and set it down. She looked around. She wouldn't be able to find anything for him here. She would have to come back out to scavenge with him again sometime. Her last stop was the medicines. She cleared the shelf of the children's medicines then got some stuff for her and Zachary. Things like Tylenol, Advil, aspirin, band aids, antibiotic ointment, and Ace Bandage wraps for all of them. Midol and Pamprin for her. She went to the door and waited.

They made their way back to the hardware store and picked up the three bags there. They were loaded down and made slow progress back across the yard to the day care. Chloe slipped under the garage door first and Zachary slipped their stuff under to her. When they were both inside he pushed the door back down. They left the table and puzzles in the garage and went back to the girls. They were cuddled up asleep on the sofa.

"Tomorrow we'll go back out and get food stuff from that supermarket up with block. I think there was even a pawn shop we can hit up. They always have guns and knives." Zachary began taking things out of the bags and making piles in the corner of the room. They had a pretty good start and it had only been one day.

"Zachary..." Chloe began. How could she explain. She had already tried twice. "There's something weird here. The stores are not picked clean, those bodies in the dollar store. Something just isn't right. Maybe we should just keep going on up to the next town or something." She hated the thought of making the girls move again but maybe it was safest.

"Chloe, it'll be fine. It's our good luck that the stores haven't been picked clean. You remember how it's been. Sometimes we wouldn't even get a backpack of stuff on a scavenging day." He stood up and went to her. "We'll be fine. You were right about settling down. Here we can stay warm and we have a place to bring all the stuff back so we can organize it. It's a lot better than a car trunk." He squeezed her shoulder and walked past her to the hallway. "I'm going to see about piling all the cribs and playpens in one room so we can open up some more space in here."

Chloe sat in the floor in front of the sofa and watched the girls sleep. Zachary was right. It was safe here. They did have more room to organize things. It had been her idea to settle in for the winter. She was just uncomfortable because it was getting close to that time of the month again. That was all. It had to be. She stretched out on the floor and put her hands behind her head. It would be alright here.

* * *

**A/N - I know this chapter isn't much but I really just wanted to get it wrote. I didn't want to continue on and make it a huge chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! Please review. As always, I will take any suggestions and comments into consideration.**


	4. Gifts Not Easily Given

**A/N - I do not own TWD or TWD universe. This will be shortish chapter. I wanted to include a Christmas scene but since Chloe and Zachary's birthday falls right after Christmas I thought I would devote a chapter to them. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"It's so hot in here!" Chloe sat back and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. What had ever possessed her to think baking bread the old fashion way was a good idea? She stared at the stove in front of her. It had seemed like a godsend the day Zachary had wheeled it in. Not even three days later she wished she'd never layed eyes on it.

"Just this morning you were complaining about how cold it was. You just can't be happy, can you?" Zachary's voice was light and teasing. The sting of the words slid right on by as she enjoyed the smile on his face.

"What's gotten into you?" She eyed him for a few moments before she went back to her bread. She was kneading her second batch. She hoped to get enough done today to last them a few days. It was hard to find dry wood and she was afraid the smoke would attract any stray zombies in the area to them. So far they hadn't seen any out in the open. They seemed to staying indoors just as much as they were. Which was a disturbing thought.

What if those things retained some shreds of their humanity. Obviously they were sensitive to the cold. How else could they be like their old selves. Did they retain some memory? Would they retain some other function besides eating? What if all this time Zachary had been killing things that were still partly human?

"Your dough is about to touch the floor." Zachary raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh!" She looked down to see her dough stretching through her fingers into a long tendril towards the floor. She gathered it all back up and began kneading it again. She certainly had enough pent up frustration to make it very light. "Go check on the girls if you aren't going to help." She could hear his laughter as he left the room. It was good to hear him laugh like that. It'd been months.

She placed the dough back in a bowl and covered it with a relatively clean cloth and sat it on shelf next to the stove to rise. She looked the stove over to make sure none of the smoke was coming back into the house. Zachary had rigged it as best he could to go out the window when they used it. Which wasn't often. She only knew how to make a few things the old fashioned way in wood burning stove. Her foster mom when she was 15 had made sure of that. She still thought fondly of the woman and wondered if she had survived the zombie hoard or not. Probably best not to dwell on it.

She checked the bread to determine it was done then took it out. She flipped the loafs out on a cloth to cool and set the pan aside. She would refill it in a bit. Right now they were going to hand out gifts. It was hard to believe it was Christmas. Just this past September she had been teaching in her classroom and looking forward to watching her pupils learn. Now she was in an abandoned town holed up in a day care center with her brother and those two precious little girls. Part of her was glad she had the girls. They kept her sane. She had something else to do besides worry about those things that hounded them all fall long. She just wished they hadn't stayed with them the way they had. She knew what it was like to loose a momma. She knew what it was like to not get to say goodbye. Unlike the girls though, she got to go to a loving home and be comforted while her brother tried to find a way to get them back together. The girls got stuck with her and Zachary with zombies constantly trying to eat them.

"Momma Chloe!" One of the girls shrieked from the living room. A stifled giggle soon followed. No. The girls might now have gotten the best break, but they did get one. They were loved and they were cared for. They were safe. That was a gift all in its own these days. Safety wasn't guaranteed. While she could, though, she would care for these girls. She would love them.

She rounded the corner into their 'living room' to see the girls huddle up next to Zachary. She raised an eyebrow and moved forward. "What's going on in here?"

The girls looked over their shoulders at her and giggled. They turned and thrust something at her. It was a very large book. No. It was several smaller ones stacked on top of each other. She took them in her hands and looked them over. Her eyes rounded and she looked up at the girls. Zachary smile behind them. It was a set of fairy tale books like she had had when she was little. She had had to leave them in the house when her and Zachary got split up after their mom died.

"Uncle Zachary said you would like them." Janie came forward and wrapped her arms wound Chloe's waist. Jackie followed suit.

"I do. I like them very much girls. I'll read to you after supper." She smiled at Zachary to show her thanks as she hugged the girls back. "Now, go get the thing we got for Uncle Zachary." The girls ran down the hall to one of the back rooms.

"I know you used to read them to me when we were little. I tried to sneak them out with me when we had to leave the house but the landlord caught me. I found these in a house about a mile down the road. Thought you might like to have a new set." He scowled at her like he wasn't comfortable with all the personal talk.

The girls came back in each carrying and end of a long, thin thing wrapped in paper. They handed it up to Zachary. He unwrapped it and smiled. It was a bowie knife. The blade was long and slightly tilted at the end. The handle was criss-crossed leather. He held it up in his hand and smiled. "I think the zombies will be to afraid to attack now." He grinned at the girls. "Where did you get this?"

"It was at that pawn shop the day we went scavenging for food. I found it while you were checking out the guns." Chloe put a hand on each girls shoulder and smiled. "Alright. Go sit on the sofa while Zachary and I get your gifts. Close your eyes and no peeking!" She watched while they scrambled to the couch.

When they had the table and the puzzles sat in the floor in front of the couch she told them they could open their eyes. Their squeals of delights caught in her heart. This is what the girls lives should be like. Not running from zombies. She helped them start one of their puzzles then went back to her bread. He heart was heavy yet light at the same time. This was the happiest she could remember being in a while. It was also the most worried.

* * *

"Happy Birthday Chloe." Zachary hugged her close to him. It had been three days since Christmas. It was hard to believe they were now 23. Things might not be how he had hoped they would be at this age, but at least they were alive. That's what mattered.

"Happy Birthday Zachary. I'm surprised you remembered." She turned around to peek out of one of the windows. There still wasn't a sign of any of those things on the street. Something still didn't feel right. She was past saying anything though. Surely everything was okay.

"Well, it is mine too." He grinned at her. "Here. I got you something." He pulled a shopping bag up from beside his feet and handed it to her.

Chloe peeked inside. It was full of of bags of popcorn! She could pop some for the girl now. She hugged Zachary tightly. He even remembered her favorite food. "Where did you find all this? There wasn't any in the supermarket."

"I got to it before you did." Was all he said. He tilted one side of his mouth up in an attempt to smile. "Don't get to many opportunities to do stuff like this for you. I though we could have popcorn and you could read to us this evening."

"Of course!" She set the bag down next to where her books lay. She went to a cabinet in the corner of the room and got one of her backpacks out. She took out a small grey square and a small bag. She took them back and handed them to Zachary.

He flipped them over in his hands. "You got me a game boy? And some games?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why would I need these?"

"I remember when we were younger and you used to love playing Pokemon. There are several of those there along with a few other games. I found them in the cabinet over there. I thought you would like them."

"Yeah. Thanks. I won't be able to play much though. We can't waste batteries like that. But I do love it." He turned it on and smiled. "I'll be over here if you need me." He went to sit on the sofa beside the girls table.

Jackie looked up at him then looked at Chloe. "Is there any bread left?" This caused Janie's head to pop up too.

"Yes, but I have something even better. I can even make it on the small propane stove so Uncle Zachary doesn't have to fix the stove again." She fetched her bag of popcorn and made her way over to the food supplies. She smile inwardly. Here they were in the middle of a zombie invasion and they were making popcorn. Zachary was playing a game boy and the girls were coloring at a Tinkerbell table. What would make it complete would be a nice hot bath with bubble bath. Mmmm. A girl could dream couldn't she?

* * *

**A/N - Sorry it's a short one. I just wanted to throw in a little down time. I'm thinking the next chapter is when they'll meet the prison group. I think it's about time to bring the two groups together. As always, please review. I'll take any comments or suggestions or requests into consideration.**


	5. Almost

A/N - I don't own TWD or the TWD universe. I don't know the month when Merle joined the group so I'm just going to make it early in the year. It works better for my story that way.

* * *

"It's starting to warm up. I can see the snow melting in several places." Zachary stomped his feet on the floor of the garage to dislodge some snow. "We need to start packing up and storing things in the car. We could have to leave any time now if those things are thawing out too."

"It's late March. It's about the right time for Spring." Chloe took the bag from him. She had stopped going on scavenging trips voluntarily. Something still didn't feel right after all this time. She didn't want to take any chances on the girls being left alone. Sometimes Zachary still needed her help if he was going to a building he hadn't been in before but he mostly just let her be. For that she was grateful.

"That's the last of the canned vegetables for the supermarket. I'll start on the houses in the morning. I need you to stay here and keep an eye out. If anything suspicious happens you use the radios to send me a message. Remember, just click the button three times first and I'll answer back. If I don't answer back then you know I can't talk right then." He took the bag back from her and made his way toward the kitchen.

"I'm not sure going through the houses is a good idea. Maybe we should just take our chances in another town. There is bound to be another place to find food." Chloe followed after him. Ever since the weather had started warming up the uneasy feeling had been building. She knew something was going to happen. She just didn't know when. Over the winter she could almost pretend that it was just her imagination or that time of the month. Now she couldn't ignore it. There was to much at stake now that those things could be waking up.

Zachary stopped and faced her. He put the bag on the floor beside him and took her hands in his. "Listen Chloe. We've talked about this. Everything is fine for now. We'll get the stuff organized and packed in the car and be gone before those things find us." He placed one hand on her cheek and rubbed lightly with his thumb. "I've taken care of you this long haven't I? I'm not going to let anything happen to you or those girls. You're my twin sister, my other half. I'd be crazy to let anything happen to you."

Chloe nodded jerkily. She still wasn't sure but Zachary was right. He had taken care of them thus far. There had been a few close calls when they were still on the road in the fall. He always managed to get them out safe and sound. She wiped the tears pooling in her eyes and nodded again. "Okay. We leave at the first sign of those things though. We can't risk it any longer."

"Listen to you. Is this the same girl talking who insisted we settle down in the first place?" Zachary just raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Not here Zachary. If we were any where else I wouldn't be asking to go so soon. This place... It's just not right. It doesn't feel right." She rubbed her arms and glanced behind her. She knew the door was closed but that didn't stop the feeling that something could get in.

Concern donned in Zachary's eyes. "Chloe, we're going to be okay. I know you're worried. I've never seen you like this. You've always been so level headed. We'll be gone with in the month. I just need enough time to scavenge those houses. More food could be the difference between life and death later. You know that. How many nights did was have to go hungry to make sure the girls ate? We've been lucky enough so far to have food for the winter. Some nights it was just cans of cold soup, but we had food. I can't leave with out knowing."

Chloe nodded again and took the bag from Zachary's feet. She would just have to hope nothing happened. They could stay okay for a few weeks more surely.

* * *

Two weeks passed and nothing happened. March had segued into April and the snow melted rapidly. The uneasy feeling clung to Chloe like her jacket had during the winter. They needed to leave. Those things were already waking up. Several of those things had already been out roaming the street. Zachary had taken each one out as it happened by, then drug the bodies back behind the hardware store. They had discussed moving the bodies to the dollar store and adding them to the pile there but Chloe didn't feel right about that. She didn't feel right about anything to do with this place any more.

Zachary was out on one last run. There were a large house on the edge of town that he wanted to go through. He had already been gone a few hours. Chloe began to wonder if she should try to contact him with the radio or not. Maybe not. If he was any where near those things, the noise of the radio could attract them. She was just being overly anxious. That's all.

"We got all out stuff packed up Momma Chloe." Janie tugged on the edge of her shirt to get her attention. "We packed it all up just like you asked. All the 'portent stuff is in our backpacks. The rest is in that bag you gave us."

"Good. Lets get them packed up in the car. Uncle Zachary wants to leave out early in the morning." She ruffled Janie's hair and went with her to get the bags. She stowed the backpacks in the back seat and the duffel bag in the trunk. She folded up the girls table and chairs and put them in the trunk too. All that was left was the food. She already had everything else packed up and put away in the car. "You girls want to help pack the food? We can pick something out for dinner tonight to leave out. They followed her to the kitchen.

She was in the middle of packing some cans when she heard the radio begin to click. She dropped the bag and pulled the radio out her back pocket. "Zachary?" She whispered into it. All she got back was a few seconds of static and a muffled "Shit!" before it cut back off.

The color drained from Chloe's face and she was finding it hard to breath. Something was wrong. There is no way Zachary would do something like that if it wasn't. What could she do? She'd never killed one of those things before. Zachary had always been the one to do it. She's always stayed back and protected the girls. She had her pistol and the knife Zachary had given her. Could she get to him and be able to help? Would she just be putting them both in danger and leaving the girls with out someone to take care of them?

"Girls. You keep packing the food. When you are done, I want you to curl up on the couch and read. You can use the flashlight to see better. Jackie, you take care of Janie. I have to go try to get to Uncle Zachary." Chloe pulled the gun from the back of her pants and checked to make sure it was loaded. The safety was still on. It was a good thing Zachary had insisted she learn how to hunt when she was home from college for breaks. She kissed each of the girls on the forehead.

"Come back okay?" Jackie latched her arms around Chloe's neck and sniffled. Janie followed suit. Tears were in both little girls eyes.

"Listen. If I find that I can't get to him, I'll come right back. I'm going to do my best to bring him back with me though." She gave them one last squeeze and slipped into the garage. She shut the door behind her and buried her face in her hands. This very well could be the last time she left this little brick building. She hoped other wise. She didn't like the thought of leaving the girls alone. She couldn't leave Zachary though. He was her twin. They had already been through so much together. If there was a chance she could save him then she had to try.

She edged the garage door up a little farther than she needed it in case she had to make a quick get away back to the house. She stopped to listen for the sounds of zombies. Nothing. She made her way quickly under the door and back to her feet. She looked around. Still clear. She began making her way down the street in the direction of the supermarket. He had said he was going to try the big three story house with the fountain in the yard. He had said there was bound to be some good stuff there.

She did her best to hide behind things as they presented themselves. A tree. An over turned car. A delivery van. Finally she made it to the house. She stepped through the fence and made her way up to the door. The goosebumps crawled over he skin again. She stopped long enough to look around her. Something had to be making her skin crawl. She stepped onto the porch. She barely had time to register the "DON'T OPEN THE DOOR CHLOE!" shouted from somewhere above her when she was swinging the door open. She stood face to face with with more zombies than she had ever seen in one group before.

She stumbled backwards down the steps, a scream caught in her throat. He mind registered gunshots and for a brief moment she wondered if the zombies had learned to shoot guns. Then "GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!" also made it's way in. She turned and barely missed being grabbed by one of those things as she ran in the opposite direction. There was no way she could out run all those things. Her best hope was to find somewhere to get where they couldn't get to her.

They were pressing in on her. She could hear the groans and shuffling. Maybe it was just her hearing sharpening from the adrenaline. All she knew was that she really didn't want to be ripped apart by those things. Her scream finally found it's way free when she felt someone grab her and jerk her sideways.

She began kicking and clawing, trying to reach the knife in its sheath on her belt. She was being drug up a set of stairs. She stopped struggling for a moment. Why would those things pack her off instead of ripping into her? What were they going to do? She began struggling even harder. "ZACHARY! ZACHARY I'M OVER HERE!" A hand clamped down over her mouth and she bit it.

"Dammit! What'd you do that for?" She was shoved up against a wall and she could hear a door slam. "You better shut the hell up or you'll draw them biters right up here on us." She couldn't focus on the face for a moment. Since when did zombies talk? And what were biters?

Finally she stifled her own screams and focused on the face directly in front of her. The face looked haggard and worn. The hair was brown tinged with gray and thinning. His eyes held a barely in check rage. It was when she noticed his eyes were greyish blue that she was convinced he wasn't a zombie. "Who are you?" She whispered.

"Oh now you're interested in who I am? After you done bit my only good hand and left teeth marks. It don't look like you're in a place to be asking questions." He placed his hand on the wall beside her head and leaned in closer. "Now what's a pretty little thing like you doing lettin' all them biters loose?" He edged the hair out of her face with the edge of a knife.

"Please don't put that thing in my face." She got out. She turned her head towards his hand in an attempt to get away from it.

"This?" He held the blade up in front her. "Well this is Ole Faithful. Ain't failed me yet. I lost my hand, see, so I had to improvise." He edged it closed to her face.

The door behind them slammed open the closed again. A tall man in a sleeveless shirt came into view carrying a crossbow. He peeked out the window and whistled. "There sure are a lot of them. What do you think grouped them up like that down there? Didn't think I was gonna be able to slip by 'em up the stairs." He turned around. "What the fuck Merle? Where did you find her?" He shoved the other man away from her.

"Pretty little thing was running from the biters. Watched her open the door on that mansion house down the road." He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her.

"My brother... he's in there. I heard him scream at me as I opened the doors. Please, you have to help him." The mention of the house had made her remember Zachary. She pleaded with the man with the crossbow. She wasn't at all sure she trusted the Merle guy.

"Ain't no more biters in that house now. Damn near thirty of them piled out after you. If there was any left I'm sure he could take 'em." Merle walked back to the window and twitched the curtain aside. "Where did he leave you while he snuck in anyways?"

"We've been staying in this day care building up the road. We've not had any trouble to far. I was even able to let the girls out to play in the snow...THE GIRLS!" She tried to push her way to the door. Merle managed to put his self in between her and her target. "Let me go. Please. You don't understand. My girls at there by themselves! I can't let that group get to them." She tried to push him out of the way.

Merle watched her for a moment. "Baby Brother. You go check out that building. It's the one with the boarded up windows I told you we should check out." He pulled Chloe to him and out of the way while the other man slipped out the door.

"No! They'll be terrified of him. They've only got my brother and I. Please, Merle, let me go to them!" She struggled against his hold again.

He pinned her to the wall beside the door. "Now Sugar. While he goes and checks on those girls of yours, what say you and I get to know each other a little better? I feel at a little bit of a disadvantage. You know my name but I don't know yours." He nudged the hair out of her face with his knife again.

"C...Chloe." She jerked her head away from the knife. "Please. Let me go."

"You gonna try to run again?" She shook her head no and he released her. She made sure to put as much room between her and him as she could. "What brings you to little 'ole Georgia miss Chloe?"

"Georgia? I didn't know we had left Kentucky." Her startled green eyes met his. She was hugging herself and watching him. "Do you really think he'll be able to get to the girls?" Her voice broke at the mention of the girls.

"Yeah. Daryl'll get 'em." He walked closer to her and smirked when she tried to edge farther away. He looked her over. She had a head full of flaming red hair that fell between her shoulder blades. Her face was a sweet heart shape. Her eyes were an Irish green. She was slightly curvy even after all these months in a zombie apocalypse. Her lips held a slight frown to them as she worried her bottom lip with her teeth. "How old are you Sugar?"

"23." She met his gaze again and the tips of her lips tipped up slightly. "My brother Zachary and I are twins. He's the one in the house. Oh! Zachary. Do you think he made it? I can't believe I forgot about him." She rushed to the window and pulled the curtain back. She craned her neck for a glimpse of him but couldn't get one.

"That red headed boy over at that house? Yeah he made it. He went back up the road towards the day care. Saw him when I grabbed you off the street." He studied her for a moment. She wasn't his usual type. Just by looking at her he could tell she was a fine bred young lady. He usually went for the redneck type of women who knew how to have a good time. Didn't have to many choices here though. He pulled her to him so her back was flush against him. "How about a kiss for saving your life?" He nuzzled his cheek to hers.

Chloe stood as still as she could. The nerve of this guy! Still, she'd never been held like this before. There was comfort in the gesture, even though she knew he just wanted to try his luck. "While I appreciate the fact that you saved me, I'm not some two dollar hussy. I don't hand out favors."

"Yet you still haven't pulled away. A moment ago you acted like you couldn't get far enough away from me. Admit it. The ole Dixon charm snared ya." His hand moved higher on her stomach until it brushed the underside of her breast.

Chloe darted out of his arms then. "I assure you it was a momentary lapse of reason and nothing more."

"Well well. Got a little fire in ya after all. I was beginning to wonder where that she devil who bit me went to." He followed her step for step as she retreated from him. They were by the window now and a movement caught his eye. He twitched the curtain aside then dropped it back down. "We gotta go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her from the entry hall of the apartment they were in out to one of the bedrooms. He pushed a window up and motioned for her climb through.

"What's wrong? Why are we leaving?" Chloe looked out the window to the fire escape.

"Those biters were starting up the stairs. They must've figured out where I took their meal. Now hurry the fuck up." He waited for her to climb through then followed. He gently let the window back down to avoid sound then pushed her up the stairs. They spilled out on the roof and edged towards the front.

The bottom of Chloe's stomach dropped. How where they supposed to make it off of here? "What are we going to do?" She looked towards Merle, all thoughts of keeping her distance forgotten.

"Well. As best I can tell there are two ways down. We jump and get eaten or we do our best to kill them. You got any weapons on you besides that knife?" He motioned to the knife on belt.

She pulled the pistol out. "I've never shot anyone before. I've shot deer a few times but that's different." Her eyes pleaded with him.

"Well it's about time you learn. In this world you either kill or you get eaten." He picked up a gun that had been laying on the roof and positioned it so it was laying on his knife. "Watch and learn." He shot one, two, three biters in the head. He looked over at her.

Her eyes held something akin to respect in them. If he could do it with only one hand, surely she could do it too. She let out a long breath the aimed down her gun at one of them. She pulled the trigger and missed. Instead of hitting it in the head she hit the one beside it in the chest. He moved around behind her and placed his arms around her. His knife lifted her hands up a fraction and his hand was over hers. "When you shoot, don't close your eyes. These things people any longer. If you don't kill them, they will kill you." He put a little pressure on her hands and felt her squeeze the trigger. The bullet hit dead center between a biters eyes.

She turned her head to look at him. His arms were still around her and she felt that comfort again. Who was this man? Why could he make her so angry yet feel so safe at the same time? Her face flushed and he smirked at her. Indignation filled her. She shrugged his arms off of her. She wouldn't meet his eyes again.

More shot rang out father out this time. Her head jerked around towards the road in time to see Zachary pull himself up on an over turned truck. "Chloe!" He yelled out to her. The sound of his voice drew some of the biters away.

"I'm up here!" Chloe called out to him. She knew the moment he spotted her. He threw up his hand up. She put her relief into shooting more of those things. She only had four more shots in the pistol and an extra clip in her pocket. Ten shots. She knew her brother had his shotgun and a pistol. She didn't know what Merle had. She hadn't even known he had a gun. They could take out these things. She just hoped that the noise didn't attract many more.

It took a few minutes to dispatch the herd. Chloe didn't even tap into her extra clip. She let Merle and Zachary take out most of them. When Zachary gave the all clear she quickly made her way back down the fire escape and through the apartment. She pulled the door open before Merle could stop her. One of those things was standing in front of the door. It was on her quicker than she could react. She hit the floor hard trying her best to keep that thing from biting her. She could feel something hitting her face and didn't want to know what.

Merle pulled it off her and slammed it to the floor. He had his knife through its skull before it could reach for him. He helped a sobbing Chloe to her feet and hugged her to him. "You bit? Scratched?" She shook her head no against his chest. "You was almost biter food little lady."

Chloe tried to stifle her sobs. She hadn't been that close to what that was still biting since that first day back at the school. She rubbed her face against Merle's shirt trying to get what that zombie had dripped on her off. His arms tightened around her and that warm comfort stole through her again. If it hadn't been for him should wouldn't be here now. She owed him her life.

"Chloe!" Zachary came running up the stairs and crashed into the room. He took a moment to register his surroundings. He saw the dead biter on the floor first then Chloe standing in Merle's arms. He reach out tugged Chloe to him. He checked her for bites or scratches then pulled her to his chest. "Oh Chloe. I'm so sorry. I should've said something sooner back at that house. I just didn't think you would actually open the door. You were supposed to be with the girls."

"Oh my God! The girls!" Chloe jerked back.

"That guy with the crossbow said he'd stay with them. I wouldn't have left him with them but I had to get to you. We should get back now." He looked over her shoulder at Merle. He studied the man for a moment then he took Chloe's hand and led her out the door and down the stairs. Merle followed close behind.

They made their way back to the day care and slipped under the garage door. Chloe ran straight to the girls and hugged them to her. Tears were pouring down all their faces. "Oh girls. I'm so glad you're safe. I was so worried."

"Mr. Daryl closed the garage door and told us to be quiet. He stayed by the window so he could look through the cracks in the boards. He said those things didn't even make it this far." Jackie tried her best to comfort her.

"I was so scared Momma Chloe. I didn't think you would come back." Janie sobbed harder.

Chloe made shhhhing noises and petted their hair. "I'm okay. We're all okay. Merle saved me."

"We can't stay here any longer. We need to head out." Zachary stood behind them. He was watching the two men. They were standing by the door to the garage arguing. "We need to make sure everything's in the car. We'll leave when they do."

Chloe looked up at Zachary and nodded. Then she looked over to Merle and Daryl. She got to her feet and made her way tentatively to them. She put her hand on Merle's shoulder. "Merle." She said softly.

His eyes found hers. "Yeah Sugar?"

"You two are welcome to come with us. We need to get out of this town though." She took her hand back.

"Chloe!" Zachary harshly whispered as he pulled her back to him. "We don't know these guys! Think of the girls."

"Merle saved me. You left Daryl with the girls earlier. They could help us." Chloe jerked her arm away from Zachary.

"That was different. I didn't have a choice. I had to get back to you." Zachary threw his hands up.

"Don't matter. We can't stay here." Daryl spoke. "I might have a place you can go though. There's a group about a days walk from here. They're staying in a prison. They might take you in."

"Hell's Bells Little Brother. What makes you think they'll take 'em in. They sure as hell wouldn't take me in." Merle spoke up.

"Yeah but they ain't done nothing to the group. Besides, they got kids. There's a good chance they will take 'em." Daryl slung his crossbow across his back and faced Zachary. "It's the best shot you got with those two little girls. They're friends of mine. They're good people."

"I don't know. We thank you for your help but my sister and these girls are my responsibility. I can take care of them" Zachary glanced between the two men. What had Merle done to the group to make them not want to take him in?

"Didn't look much like you were taking care of this pretty little lady here." Merle motioned towards Chloe. "If I hadn't pulled her ass off the street, she woulda been ripped to shreds by those things."

"Don't you talk about her like that! We would've been fine!" Zachary was immediately in Merle's face.

Chloe put a hand on Zachary's arm. "Zachary he's right." She waited for him to face her. "If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't be here. Maybe they're right. If this prison is safe then it would be a good place to bring up the girls." She pulled him back from Merle.

"You don't trust me to take care of you all?" Zachary's face held the sting of disbelief.

"It's not that I don't trust you. You've brought us this far. You kept us fed and warm all winter long." She pleaded with him. "What's to stop what just happened from happening again though. You can't always be there to protect me. When I got that radio message from you I was desperate to get to you. I didn't know you were holed up in a house with a herd of... what was it you called them Merle? Biters."

Zachary stepped back from them. He seemed to be considering her words. "Fine." He finally got out. "We'll give it a try. If they say no, we're gone. We aren't going to beg for a place to stay." He turned and quickly made his way down to the kitchen.

Chloe looked after him sadly. What had gotten into him? "We have a car full of stuff. Food, a few weapons, batteries, medicine. We can contribute. Zachary's good at going on scavenging trips." She turned back to Merle and Daryl.

"You don't have to convince me. Just get your stuff and get in your car. We'll drive close then I'll get out and walk ahead of the car. They'll open the gate when they see it's me." Daryl motioned towards the girls.

Chloe nodded then went to the girls. She made sure they had everything and buckled them into the car. She went back for Zachary. She found him in the kitchen slamming cans into bags. He looked up at her sadly then grabbed two of the bags and went to the car. Chloe grabbed the last two and followed after him. When they had everything situated Daryl and Zachary climbed in front with Zachary driving. Chloe slide the garage door up and went back to the car.

"I guess you're gonna have ta ride in my lap." Merle smirked at her. Chloe hesitated a moment then stood on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to the corner of Merle's mouth. She averted her face and held the door open for him. He slid into the vehicle with a grin on his face.

* * *

A/N – I'm sorry if the ending feels a little rushed. I was having trouble trouble deciding how I wanted it to go. I hope you all liked it anyway. This is the point where the differences will really start coming through. I'm not going to be following the episodes point by point but the major events will be there. As always, please review if you liked it. I will always take into consideration any comments or suggestions. 3


	6. Just One Kiss

A/N – I don't own TWD or the TWD universe. I want to thank all those that have taken the time to review. 3 For the fairy tail is not mine. It is a favorite of mine from when I was little. If you haven't read the story about the Princess on the Glass Hill, I highly encourage you to do so. Also, I'm not sure what all they have in that front room so I'm going to assume they have it set up like a kitchen since that's where they all eat.

* * *

"Momma Chloe. Can you tell us a story? The one about the princess on the glass hill." Jackie snuggled up to Chloe's right side while Janie did the same on the left.

Chloe was sitting with her back against the rails of the two beds that had been put together for the girls. She smiled down at them and gently petted their hair. "Well, once up on a time there was this farmer who had three sons. Every summer his hay field was eaten on a certain night. He sent his sons to guard it. The older two were scared off by earthquakes. The youngest son stayed. He heard a horse outside and caught it eating his fathers hay. On the ground next to it was a saddle, bridle, and full suit of armor all in brass. He tamed the horse and went home to tell his father nothing had happened. The next two years went much the same except for the armor went from brass to silver to gold.

"Now in a nearby village a King decided it was time for his daughter to marry. He sat her on top of a gold hill and put three gold apples in her lap. Who ever could climb up the gold hill and attain the apples would marry his daughter and get half the kingdom. The two oldest brothers went to try their luck but left the youngest one home. No one was able to climb the hill. Then, out of no where, came a night on a beautiful horse in a brass suit of armor. He climber one third of the way up the hill and turned to go back down. The princess threw him and apple and he left." She looked down at the two girls and they were fast asleep. She sighed and leaned her head back.

"So what happened?" A voice from the doorway asked. Chloe opened her eyes to find Merle standing there watching her.

Chloe gently extracted herself from the girls. She made sure to cover them back up before making her way to Merle. "He went back two more times. Once in silver armor and once in gold armor. He got one of the remaining golden apples each time then left. The king called a meeting of all the people in the land. Upon finding that the farmers son had the apples he had him married to his daughter." She looked up at him with a smile on her face. "It's nice to think about. He had nothing to give her in the eyes of the king or the country but because she favored him with the apples he was able to marry her. It's kind of romantic."

"Yeah. Romance. It's all a bunch a shit. Women just use it as an excuse to get jewelry and chocolate." Merle looked away from her for a moment.

"Did you need something Merle?" Chloe edged around him out of the cell. She started towards the kitchen to help Carol clean up after supper.

"Now hold on a minute Red." He grabbed her arm to pull her to a stop. "Don't go getting all huffy. I didn't mean to burst your romantic bubble. I was just going by to my cell when I heard you telling the story. Thought I'd stop to listen."

"Well I hope you liked it. I usually read to the girls before bed. You're welcome to listen any time you like." She pulled her arm away and made her way to the kitchen. That man could make her madder than anyone else with just a few words. The nerve of him to insinuate romance was just a whores invention to get stuff.

"You alright?" Carol asked as she gathered up the dishes.

"Yeah. It's just Merle..." How could she explain how he got under skin?

"You don't need to say any more. He gets to all of us most days." Carol smile and placed the dishes in the sink. She pulled a kettle of boiling water from the stove they had set up and poured it over the dishes.

"What happened with him? Between him and you all, I mean. He said he wasn't welcome here but you all took him in anyway." Chloe added a jug of room temperature water to the dishes to cool the water down a bit.

"To be honest, if it hadn't been for you and the girls he would still be out on the road. You all needed us. When you said you wouldn't stay unless he stayed Rick had no choice but to keep him. We may have to put up with him but we gained some great companions in return." Carol smiled at her as she began to scrub the dishes.

Beth entered with the baby. "She's being fussy again tonight." She walked sleepily over to Carol.

"I can't take her right now honey. Hand her to Chloe. That is, if you don't mind." She glanced back up at Chloe.

"Of course not! I love babies. It's been so long since I've gotten to hold one." She took the little girl and cradled her in her arms. "Oh you are precious."

Beth made her way back to bed. Carol stopped scrubbing to wipe her forehead. "There's some bad blood between him and most of us. None more than Glenn, Maggie, and Michonne." She glanced over toward Chloe and smiled. "You must have spoiled your girls when they were babies.

Chloe looked up, confused. "When my girls were babies... Oh! No. They aren't mine. I mean they are... now. I was a teacher back when all this started. Their mother never showed up to get them. We found her later. She was... gone. Zachary and I have had them ever since."

"I was thinking you looked awfully young." Carol went back to the dishes. "It's nice to know there are some people left that have any decency. I was beginning to wonder."

"I wouldn't have left them for anything. I know what it's like to loose a mother." She began cooing to the baby. "What's her name?"

"Judith. She's Rick's little girl. His wife Laurie was lost when we got over run by walkers. Maggie had to an emergency c-cection to save Judith." Carol smiled over at them. "It was a tough blow to Rick." She rinsed the dishes and dried her hands. "Here. Let me see if I can get her to sleep. It looks like you have a visitor." She nodded to the door to the cells.

Chloe handed Judith over and glanced towards the door. Merle stood leaning against it with his arms crossed. She took a moment to tug at her shirt then walked shyly over to him. "Would like to go for a walk?"

"Awfully late for walk." He stood up and closed the distance between them.

"You be good to her Merle." Carol went past him into the cells.

"If you don't want to then just say so." Chloe averted her eyes from Merle's.

"I didn't say that now did I?" He began walking towards the door. He opened it to let Chloe through.

"Chloe? What are you doing out this late?" Zachary was just coming out of the guard tower. He went straight to Chloe.

"Merle and I were just going for a walk. The moon is full tonight so we'll be able to see any dangers." Chloe hugged her brother tightly.

Zachary watched Merle over Chloe's shoulder. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of his sister hanging out with Merle. He had done something to make himself not welcome with this group. Whatever it was, it had to have been bad. In these times you didn't just abandon a fellow survivor to those things outside the fence. "Chloe will you run in and get me a bottle of water real quick? That's where I was headed but I'd much rather head back up there." He motioned to the guard tower with a nod of his head.

"Oh. Yes. I'll be right back Merle." She turned and left.

"What are your intentions with my sister?" Zachary wasted no time confronting Merle.

"Last time I checked, your sister was a big girl. I don't think I have to explain anything you." Merle crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Be that as it may, I'm responsible for her. I'm not going to let some riff raff like you try to sink your claws into her. What are you? 40? You're old enough to be her dad. Not to mention you've gotten yourself into some kind of trouble with this group here. Now I may be new here but I'm smart enough to pick up on the vibes they send your way. The only ones here who even act like they tolerate you is Carol, Daryl, the old guy, and the little girl." Zachary stepped up to Merle. He wasn't quite as tall as Merle so he had to look up a bit but he didn't let that stop him. He'd much rather be Chloe's height any day.

"Well well. Figured some things out did ya? My age is of none of your concern. As far as the others, they can shove a biter up their asses for all I care. The only reason I'm here is for my brother and that pretty little lady you call sister. In case you didn't notice, she spoke up and made sure I stayed. Maybe you should be asking her what her intentions are towards me. Not that I don't like the idea of her taking advantage of me, mind you. I think I rather like that idea." He gave Zachary a wicked grin.

"You lay one hand on my sister and it'll be the last thing you ever do. I'll feed you to those damn things myself." Zachary was in Merle's face now. Anger propelled him forwards and upwards.

"Seeing as how I only got the one hand, that'll be all it takes." Merle stepped back when he noticed Chloe coming back out the door.

"What are you guys talking about?" She handed Zachary the bottle of water.

"You and I will talk later." He stormed off back into the tower.

"What's his problem?" Chloe looked over and Merle with troubled eyes.

"Hell if I know. Now how about that walk, Red?" He put his arm around her and pulled her close. If that idiot wanted to make a big deal of him taking a walk with Chloe, he'd give him one hell of a show.

"What gotten into you?" Chloe looked up at him. She didn't try to pull away.

"Nothing Sugar. Just wanted to make sure you weren't scared." He pulled her ever closer.

Chloe began to laugh. "I lived on the road with Zachary for a few months before we found that day care. Then I faced down a hoard of those biters on roof top with you. I don't think a few biters on the outside of the fence are going to scare me."

"Glad to see you can laugh at biters. Most women just cry and run." They walked down through the field toward the front of the fence. "Why did you stick your neck out for me?" The stopped and Merle pulled away for a moment. He linked his fingers with the fence.

"I don't know. It's just not fair for them to tell you that you can't be here. If you couldn't be here then I didn't want to be here either. You saved me back in that town. I couldn't loose you here." A blush stole across her cheeks and she looked away towards the pond. Not many biters out and about tonight. All the same, she was glad there were two fences in between them and her.

Merle turned her to face him and tilted her chin up with his knife. "I knew you couldn't fight the ole Dixon charm. Just like I told ya back in that town." He gave her a cocky smile.

"You are awfully confident about that aren't you?" Chloe raised her eyebrow at him and gave him a little smile.

In answer to her question he wrapped his arms around her and press his lips to hers. He could feel the moment when the smile faded from her lips. He could feel her hesitation and uncertainty. He felt the moment she gave in and pressed into him. He pressed his tongue against her lips and she opened for him. She tasted of honey and something that was uniquely Chloe. Momentarily he wondered where the honey came from but then he didn't care. His hand smoothed it's way up her back and around her side. He brushed the underside of her breast through her shirt. When she gasped he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss even farther.

Chloe forgot where she was. She'd only ever had chaste kisses on the lips from Jared when he would take her home. This was on an entirely different level. A moan escaped her mouth and into his as he cupped her breast. She'd never felt so alive or so vulnerable in her life. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Her knees went weak and he used his arm to support her. If just one kiss could make her feel like this then what would it feel like to make love with him?

It was that thought that made Chloe pull back. She met his eyes for a moment. They had deepened to a dark stormy gray. His breathing was ragged and it matched hers. She stepped back out of his arms and hesitated. She barely knew this man. She shouldn't be letting him kiss her like that. She definitely should be thinking about sleeping with him! "I... um..." She began stumbling back towards the door to the prison. She could hear Merle's knowing laughter behind her.

* * *

A/n – Sorry it's a short chapter. I'm having a bit of trouble deciding exactly what I want to go next. I have several ideas. I just have to work out in what order I want them to happen. Once again, if anyone has any suggestions or requests, fell free to private message me. I will take all into consideration. If you liked it, please review. 3


	7. Mother

A/N – I do not own TWD or the TWD universe. I want to apologize because I keep changing the name for the walkers. I use the word that the person in the paragraph would call them. I know it gets a little confusing.

A/N - I had to edit this chapter to add the lines between parts. I have no idea why they were removed in the first place but I realize it was probably confusing to those of you who have already read it. Sorry!

* * *

_"There is no way Merle can stay!" Rick shouted. "First you bring these strangers here and ask that we take them in. That I can live with. They have two little girls. I can't turn them away. Now you ask for __**him**__ to stay here?"_

_"Yeah. I ain't comin' back with out him." Daryl stood his ground._

_"Well I'm sorry. After everything he's done, I can't let him stay here with everyone else." Rick turned away from him._

_"If you make him leave then the girls and I go with him." Chloe had each girl by the hand. They had barely made it out of the car before this man in the sheriffs uniform had descended on them. _

_"What?!" Rick swung around to face her. "You would stake the lives of your girls on this man?" He pointed to Merle._

_"I would. He saved me. If it hadn't been for him I wouldn't have been able to make it back to my girls. Daryl risked his life to make it to my girls to keep them safe. I don't know you all. I don't them either, but at least I know they would risk their lives for us. I can't say the same about you. I think this would be a great place to stay. It would be safe. My girls would be safe. I won't stay with out him though." Chloe pulled the girls to her and stepped closer to Merle._

_Everyone around them stared at her in disbelief, including Zachary. "Listen to yourself. You would throw away safety for some barbarian you haven't even known a day?"_

_"I would. Him and Daryl saved us. Can't you see that? What do you think would have happened back there if they hadn't been there? I never would have survived those biters. Who's to say you would have when you tried to get to me? The girls would have been left alone. We owe them. If they can't stay then neither will we." Chloe indicated the girls she still clutched to her._

_"Looks like you don't have a choice." Michonne said from the sidelines._

_"You would really let him in here?" Glenn asked incredulously._

_"I don't those girls' deaths on my head." Michonne stated matter of factly._

_Glenn paused then looked to Maggie. She nodded and took his hand and led him away. Rick looked back to the group in front of him. "Fine. But the first screw up and he's gone. It'll be your choice whether or not to follow him." He swung on his heel and retreated back into the prison._

Chloe kept going over it in her head. She didn't quite understand herself why she had allied herself with Merle and Daryl so strongly. Yes, she owed them her life. Was she really willing to risk the girls lives for him though? She honestly didn't know. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. Now that she had been here for a few weeks she could really see the advantages to living in a prison. It was secure for the most part. It was out of the weather. They had food to eat and a safe place to sleep. They didn't have to worry about being woke up in the middle of the night by a biter slamming into the car window.

Then there was the matter of that kiss. She still wasn't sure how it made her feel emotionally. Physically, just thinking about made her body flush and ache with longing. She gave a frustrated sigh. She didn't even know what her body ached for. She'd never been sexually active before. She'd never even owned a vibrator or a dildo. She hadn't seen the point. They probably would've just made her want the real thing. All her friends who had settled down or become sexually active before they graduated college had dropped out for one reason or another. Some got pregnant. Some just wanted to be house wives. Either of those weren't bad things. They just hadn't been for her.

She rolled over onto her back. Every night since that kiss had been the same. She'd try to sleep. Her thoughts would inevitably go back to Merle, back to the kiss. She gave in to the fact that she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night and got up. She climbed down from the top bunk over the girls bed. What she needed was some fresh air. She climbed the steps up to the upper level and made her way over to the window. Merle was on guard duty with Rick so she knew there was no chance of running into him tonight.

She stood watching out the window for about an hour. She could hear the biters from here but it didn't seem to have the same effect on her it used to. Wait. That's wasn't the biters moaning. She cocked her head a little to try to hear better. It was coming from behind her in one of the cells. She took a few steps in that direction then stopped. Propped against the door was Daryl's crossbow. He face flushed scarlet. That was definitely not the biters moaning in there. She made her way down the stairs as quietly as possible.

"Chloe, have you seen Carol? I need a bottle for Judith and I don't know where she put the formula." Beth came from the kitchen and stopped in front of her.

"Oh... Um... No. I haven't seen her. How about I go help you look for that formula. Probably best not to disturb her right now." Chloe ushered Beth back towards the kitchen.

"What do you mean? I though you haven't seen her?" Beth looked up at her confused.

"I haven't." Chloe began looking on the shelves. 'Thank God.' she added silently.

* * *

"What the hell did I tell you about touching my sister?" Zachary shoved Merle as he was coming out of the guard tower.

Merle regained his balance and took a swing at him. "What the hell is your problem. I've been on watch all night. Ask Officer Friendly up there."

"You know good and well what my problem is. I saw you kiss her down in the field the other day." Zachary acted like he was going to shove him again.

"You try that again and you will regret it." Merle steeled himself.

"Yeah well you're going to regret touching my sister!" Zachary launched himself at Merle. The two toppled to the ground. Merle immediately gained control and rolled Zachary onto his back

"Why'd it take you so long? Had to get up your pathetic little nerves? Afraid Ole Merle will beat the shit out of ya? Well you got that fucking right. There ain't a goddamn thing you can do about it." Merle drew his fist back.

Zachary brought his knee up to meet Merle's crotch. Merle let out a "Ooomph!". Zachary managed to get out from under Merle. "You bastard. Chloe is a respectable woman, even in these times! I won't have you ruining her." He aimed a punch at Merle's head.

"I am hardly ruined Zachary." Chloe said a little to calm. Zachary's head snapped up. Chloe was standing beside them with three bowls and cups balanced on a tray. Zachary and Merle both righted themselves but wouldn't meet her eyes.

"I saw the way her touched you. I swear I won't let him do it again." Zachary took a step closer to him.

"I assume you are talking about our kiss in the field down there. If so, then you must have also seen that I embraced him back. Not only that but I kissed him back as well." Chloe handed Merle a bowl of oatmeal and cup of water.

"There's no way you done that, Chloe. A lady like you would never let the likes of him touch you." Zachary crossed his arms and glared in her direction.

"Our mother was a lady too. Yet she ended up with our brute of a father. Now you and I will have a talk about this." Chloe handed Rick his breakfast as he came out of the guard tower. "Carol said to bring the dishes back in when you are done with them. Daryl and Carl are supposed to have next watch." She looked back to Zachary and handed him his food as well. "Find me when you are done. Don't you dare lay another finger on Merle either." She turned on her heel and was gone. Rick just looked between the two of them.

* * *

"I want to take a trip into the tombs. I'd like to look around and see if there is a room suitable to use as a classroom." Chloe looked to Glenn and Maggie.

"I can't. Rick, Michonne and I are going on a run this afternoon." Glenn spoke over his breakfast.

"I can take you. I've been meaning to talk with you anyway." Maggie volunteered. She looked back at Glenn and squeezed his hand. "We can go right after lunch. That'll give you time to decide on what you want to look for. You could also have your talk with Zachary." She gave Chloe and apologetic smile. "Beth saw the whole thing this morning."

Chloe just nodded and went to get the girls ready. They had already had their breakfast and were sitting at a table with Hershel. She walked up right in time to hear Janie ask about his leg. "I hardly think that is appropriate." She placed a hand on the girls head.

"But I never saw no one that was missing a leg before." Janie looked up at her with big eyes.

"It's alright." Hershel smile at them. "I couldn't help but over hear your conversation with Maggie. I can watch the girls for you if you'd like. I was already going to take little Judith out in the sun today. I'd be more than glad to take the girls out with me."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you." She smiled at him. "Come on girls. Lets go get you dressed so you can go play." She waited while they took their bowls back over to Carol then they went back to their cell. She put them in jeans and t-shirts. Then she braided their hair. Jackie's hair got braided into one braid and Janie's got braided into two.

"I like it here Momma Chloe. We don't have to worry about those mean things trying to get us." Janie sat loving on her teddy bear. "I think Momma woulda liked it here too."

"Your momma would have liked it any where you two were." She pulled the girls to her and kissed them lightly on the forehead. She smiled down at them. "Now how about you two run along to Hershel. You better mind him!" She called after them as they raced from the cell.

She was cleaning everything back up when Zachary walked in. "What the hell are you doing Chloe?"  
Chloe glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "Well I thought I was cleaning up the cell. Does that not look like what I'm doing?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. You don't need the likes of Merle." Zachary stormed over to her and turned her face him.

"Last time I checked I was grown woman. I can decide what I need and what I don't need. Besides, Merle and I are just friends for now." Chloe pulled away from him.

"For now? What? Are you planning to throw yourself at him? I know there's not a whole lot to choose from these days but you are better than him." Zachary stepped closer to her.

"I hardly think anyone is better than anyone else. Every single one of us has lost people to those things. We are all just trying to survive. He may have been someone you wouldn't have associated with before but you don't really have that luxury now. We have to all stick together." Chloe's eyes began to heat up with anger.

"Don't give me that bull shit. There has always been some that are better than others. Just look at Mother and Father. She was way to good for him." He all but snarled.

Comprehension dawned in her eyes. "That's what all this about? You think Merle is just like Father? Even if he was I am nothing like Mother. I am not weak willed and spineless."

"You're exactly like Mother! You're soft hearted and kind. You always try to see the best in people even if there isn't anything good about them. You always give them another chance even when they've proven they can't be trusted." Zachary threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Well then I'm glad to be like Mother! At least I'm not a cold bastard like Father was!" Chloe clapped her hand over her mouth as soon as she said it.

"That's just great. So I'm like Father now am I? All I have ever done was make sure you were safe. I gave up my own life just to make sure you were able to have your dreams. Not once did I ever hit you or smack you around. Everything I did was always about you." His voice had lost it's edge and he hung his head just a little.

"I'm sorry Zachary. I know you aren't like Father. Not really. You always have everyone's best interest at heart. You just have to learn to let them make their own choices. I'm not saying Merle and I are together. We're not. I won't rule out that possibility though. There is something good about him. He saved me when he didn't even know who I was. He likes the girls. He doesn't admit it but I can tell. Just yesterday morning he had a conversation with Janie about what would happen if they found a Unicorn in the tombs." She reach out towards him. She placed a hand on his arm.

"You're the only family I have, Chloe. I will not loose you to him. He's not right for you. It'll be just like Mother and Father. I don't want to come home and find you bloody and beaten because you let that bastard in again." He wasn't really seeing her. His mind was on that scene long ago. His mother had called his cell phone to tell him his father was coming over for dinner. He had left school immediately. He got home to find his mother covered in blood lying on the kitchen floor. A closer look had revealed she was already gone. He head had been beat in with something. He had called 911. The cops never did find their father or the weapon. The only consolation in the whole thing was that Chloe had been staying after school.

"I'm not Mother. I won't let myself get pushed around by some bully. I'm sorry you can't see that. Listen..." A clang at the cell door interrupted her. She looked up to see Maggie standing there.

"I'm sorry. I'm interrupting something. I'll come back later." She backed up and started to leave.

"Don't bother. We're done here." Zachary pushed past her and left.

"Are you okay?" Maggie took a step closer to Chloe. At her nod she added, "Carol said lunch is going to be late. I thought we could go ahead and head into the tombs if you wanted."

"Yeah. Just let me get my knife. I had Daryl sharpening it." Chloe placed the small pair of pants she had been clutching on the bed and left the cell. She wondered if she would ever have the same relationship with her brother again. Some how she just didn't think so.

* * *

A/N – Sorry this chapter isn't much. I wanted to add more but decided to make it into a whole other chapter. I'm planning some smut. 3 I should have it up shortly. I'm already working on it. Sorry for the wait on this one. As always I will take any comment or suggestions into consideration.


	8. Shattered

A/N – I do not own TWD or TWD universe. That aside, I am having withdrawals so you will have to excuse be if I ramble a bit. I am re-watching season 3 so the major events should start lining up soon. 3

* * *

"Girls?" Chloe walked through the cell block. Where were they? They had the cake baked and ready for their birthday party. She would never cease to be amazed at what Carol could do with their limited supply of things. She heard a giggle from up the stairs and climbed them slowly.

"It tickles!" A shriek of laughter alerted her to which cell she could find the girls in.

She walked to the door and stopped. The girls were sitting in the floor with a kitten in between them. A closer look revealed that each little girl was also holding one. Janie had a calico held up to her cheek and it was licking her. Jackie had a little orange tiger kitten cuddle up to her chest. The one in the middle was mostly orange with little white feet and a tip of white on it's tail. Sitting on the bed behind them was Merle looking smug.

Jackie looked up and grinned. "Look Momma Chloe! Mr. Merle game us kittys!" She held her kitten up like it was a prize.

"I see that. Where did Mr. Merle find the kittys?" Chloe glanced up at Merle.

"Found 'em yesterday on that run. The mother led a group of biters away from them and didn't came back. Waited for nearly an hour. Thought your girls here might like 'em." He looked from her back down to the girls. "Thought you might like one too."

"That's awfully sweet of you Merle. Thank you." She scooped up the kitten in the middle and sat on the bed next to him. The ketten mewed and looked up at her. She cuddled it to her cheek. "It's so soft. I never thought I'd see another animal."

"Mines name is Lacey." Janie declared.

"Might want to check again sweetheart. That one theres a boy." Merle chuckled.

"I don't care. His name is Lacey." Janie gave Merle her stubborn look.

"You won't be able to change her mind." Jackie looked up. "I think I'll name mine Ginger."

"We have a boy named Lacey and a... hang on. Let me check yours Jackie." Chloe took the tiger kitten and examined it. "We have a little girl named Ginger." She handed her back to Jackie. She picked hers back up out of her lap. "Another little boy. I think I'll call him Buttons. Socks and Mittens are way to over done. Although, maybe not now days." Stroked the kittens soft fur.

"Damn things kept me awake most of the night. Had to keep 'em quiet so your girls wouldn't sniff 'em out. Smartest little brats I've ever met." He gruffed up.

"Thank you again Merle. They're lovely." Chloe leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She stood up and motioned for the girls to do the same. "The cake is done. Carol did a marvelous job. I'll never understand how she can do the things she can do with what we have." She made it to the door before she turned around. "You're welcome to come have cake with the rest of us."

"Why the hell would I want cake? I picked myself up a little something on that run yesterday as well. I think I'll get piss drunk now that I don't have three squalling pussys to take care of." He reach into a bag under his bed and pulled out a bottle of Vodka.

Chloe crinkled her nose. "Alright then. Try not to get to drunk though." She watched him for a long moment then followed the girls down the stairs. She could already hear the "Awwwww!"s coming from the kitchen area. She held her kitten out and looked him over. No. Merle couldn't be all bad. He had given them something no one else could possible give them. Not just kittens. He had given her girls a reason to smile again.

Chloe couldn't sleep again. She lay on her side with Buttons curled up to her. She used her finger to pet the tiny kitten on the head. Thank goodness they seemed to be weaned. They had found a few cans of tuna in the stores. They had enough to due for how until someone could go on another run for cat food. The kitten began to purr and she sighed. It almost seemed normal here now. She had Merle to thank for that.

The now familiar longing returned at the thought of Merle. She squeezed her legs together in an attempt to get some satisfaction. It only made it worse. She sighed deeply. There would be no sleep tonight. She climbed down from the bed and placed Buttons on bed with the girls. He wobbled his way to his brother and sister and curled up. Chloe watched for a moment before leaving the cell.

She walked up the stairs and over to the barred window. This was getting to be all to familiar. More often than not she walked this path at night. She didn't even know what her body ached for. Oh, she knew the what the sex was and what all it entailed. She just didn't know why her body craved it so much. From what she understood it couldn't be anything special.

Another sigh escaped her as she watched Maggie enter the guard tower. If she remembered correctly it was Maggie and Glenn on watch tonight. They certainly seemed to enjoy sex. Maybe there was something to it after all. Maybe she should talk to Maggie about it. No. That would just be awkward. Maggie had already talked to her about Merle. She too had tried to steer her away from him. Their trip into the tombs had ended with them just standing in a room talking. Everyone, it seemed, had noticed her growing fascination with Merle. No on thought it was a good idea.

She turned around and leaned against the wall. She closed her eyes and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She wrapped her arms around her knees and placed her head against them. What was she supposed to do? It's not like she could go out and buy a vibrator now. She couldn't even ask someone to find her one without embarrassment. Maybe she should ask to go on the next run. Surely there was a store around here somewhere that had once sold them. She hadn't wanted one before because she was afraid that it would make her want sex. Now it seemed like it was the only option she had.

Or was it? She looked up towards Merle's cell. Everything was quiet. She glanced around her in the rest of the cell block. The only sound was snoring and Beth's soft voice as she tried to sing baby Judith back to sleep. She looked towards Daryl's cell. It was empty. Where was he? Then she remembered that he didn't sleep in his cell unless he was expecting a visit from Carol. He unofficially lived in the other guard tower.

She got slowly to her feet and padded over to Merle's cell. She stopped at the door. Did she really want to do this? She could just go back to her cell and attempt to sleep. She didn't even know if Merle wanted her. Except if that kiss was anything to go by then he did. They hadn't had any intimate contact from then until today when she had kissed him on the cheek. He had been so thoughtful to bring those kittens back for her and the girls. Kittens didn't mean a declaration of love though. No, not love. More along the lines of 'I want in your panties'. That's what they would mean from Merle. Could she give to Merle what she hadn't want to give any other man?

She had just turned to leave when a hand reach out grabbed a hold of her arm. "Whoa whoa whoa Red. Where do you think your going?" She was pulled back into cell and onto Merle's lap.

She struggled for a moment. "What are you doing?"

"Stopping you from leaving. You had to have a reason for coming to my cell in the middle of the night." He captured her lips with his. "Maybe you wanted to finish what we started all them weeks ago out in that field." He grinned at her.

"Ugh. You taste and smell like Vodka. You weren't lying when you said you were going to get drunk, were you?" She stopped struggling and raised her face to his.

"Now have I ever lied to you?" Merle smoothed some hair out of her face. "I knew you'd come to me soon or later. I knew it the moment I packed you up them stairs back in that town."

"Oh yes. Your brutishness and complete lack of charm swept me right off my feet." She rolled her eyes and situated herself better on his lap.

"No. Me picking you up is what swept you off your feet. The Ole Dixon charm kept you there." He thrust his hips against her to show her that he was aroused. "Now. Back to why you're here. You wanting a piece of Merle?"

"I... I don't know." She flushed scarlet and averted her gaze. Why did he have this effect on her?

"Well I'll decide for you then." He turned her so that she was straddling him and kissed her again. It wasn't a soft persuasive kiss this time. This time he demanded entrance with his tongue. His hand was on her breast just as fast as his other arm went around her back. He molded it through the shirt. She broke the kiss and moaned. Her head tilted back as she pushed her breasts towards him. He smirked.

"Merle..." She moaned out. She ground her hips against him. She could feel his arousal through his pants. It made her ache even more.

"Now Sugar. I can take real good care of you. I can make you feel like no one else ever has. First I need to know that you want this. I ain't never forced myself on a woman and I ain't about to start now." Merle held his face just above hers. His hand still massaged her breast.

"I..." Did she want this? A moment ago she was ready to head back down to her room. She really shouldn't. Despite being around him for weeks, she barely knew this man. OH! But he made her feel so alive. Her body had never felt more alive than this. Tingles were spreading out from where his hand was massaging her breast. The achy feeling between her legs was growing. "Yes. Oh please! Yes." She needed this. Maybe once she got it she wouldn't be tormented by dreams of him.

"That's all I needed Sugar." Merle pulled her shirt up over her head and admired her breast in her light yellow bra. He never had much for the color before but maybe he could start liking yellow if this was the view he got with it. "You unbuckle that for me." He watched while she hesitantly reach behind her to unbuckle the bra. The second it was loose he pulled it from her arms and cast it aside. Damn! Those were some fine breasts. Not large by any count but just perfect to fill his hand. He ran his thumb over one already hard nipple.

Lightening ran through her body and she jerked back from his touch. Her eyes locked with his. Both their eyes were darkened with desire. She pushed her breast back into his hand and burried her face in his neck. Merle chuckled and began running his thumb over the nipple again and again. She began to whimper softly into his neck. He stood her up and unbuttoned her pants. He slide them down her legs to find that she had matching yellow panties. He could really start liking yellow.

He unbuttoned his pants and slid them down as well. He pulled his cock through the flap in his boxers and sat back down. He motioned for her to sit on his lap again. She sat down slowly, carful not to sit directly on his cock. He chuckled again. He leaned her back over his arm and ran his finger from her throat down to her belly, making sure to travel over a nipple on the way down. He edged his hand down into her soft curls and rubbed.

He whole body began to quiver. She had never been naked with a man before. She had definitely never been touched like this. He was feeding that ache between her thighs. It was building up to something. She wasn't sure what but she knew that once it happened she would never be the same again. "Please..." She whispered to him. She felt his finger slide between her folds and find her nub. Almost immediately she shattered. Her breathing became ragged and her body to convulse around his hand. Bright lights erupted behind her eyelids even though it was almost pitch dark in the cell.

"Well well. Looks like it's been a while for you. Lucky for you Ole Merle knows what he's doing. I'll take real good care of ya." Before she could respond he lifted her hips and poised her above his throbbing cock. He began to lower her onto it.

"Merle wait. I've never..." Chloe began.

"Shhhhhh. Not now Sugar. Plenty of time for talking after." Merle thrust up into her. He knew the moment he hid her barrier. It only gave him a slight pause before he filled her all the way. He looked into her pain laced eyes. "Damn girl. I never thought you was a virgin. All shiny and new in there. Well, not anymore. No wonder you went off like a rocket when I barely touched you." He sat still for a moment waiting for her to adjust.

She just sat there. To go from that high to this low in just a matter of seconds was mind reeling. She sat as still as she could. The pain began to recede and she became aware of the feeling of being stretched. It wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it was beginning to feel very nice. She gave her hips a little wiggle to let him know she was okay.

He began thrusting into her. Slowly at first, then gaining speed. She wasn't sure if she was doing it right but she tried to match pace with him. She could feel the achy feeling building again. Was it possible to shatter again so close to the first time? Merle began thrusting into her harder. The thought that he was the only man to ever possess this little lady drove him to the edge quickly. It was like a drug. Knowing he was the only one ever make her whimper like this, to moan out his name. All to soon he felt his release. He felt her shatter around him again and it was all he could take. With one final thrust he was over the edge too. She clung to him with her face buried in his neck.

It was some time before she raised up to look at him. Her eyes were filled with wonderment. "That was..." She couldn't even describe it. All these years she had thought sex was nothing to get excited about. Boy had she been wrong. Was it like this all the time?

"Told you I could take good care of ya." He lifted her off of him and used a old shirt in the corner to clean himself off. He looked back at her to see that she was still standing in front of the door naked. "You might want to put some clothes on before someone happens by."

She glanced down then back at him. She picked up her clothes and hastily put them on. What had she expected? Fireworks then cuddling? Well she had certainly gotten the fireworks. Cuddling, it seemed, was out of the question. Was she really surprised though? This was Merle. She'd never really seen him go out of his way to take care of someone else. He had saved her though. He had also brought them kittens. Maybe she had let that cloud her reason.

"Any time you want a repeat performance, you come find me. I'll be more than glad to take care of you again." Merle walked towards her. He seemed to be oblivious to her inner turmoil.

"Yeah. I... should go." She backed away from him. Tears had begun to sting her eyes. What had she been thinking? Just because a kiss had rocked her work was no reason to sleep with a guy. She had made it 23 years without one. She could have made it longer. "You probably want to get to the rest of that Vodka. I doubt you'll even remember I was here when you wake up in the morning. She turned and fled.

* * *

A/N – I made this one chapter all about the smut so that anyone reading who wanted to avoid it could just skip over it. Also, after re-watching some of the episodes, I realized that I've totally omitted where the Governor was supposed to knock down the fence. I'll add it into the next chapter. I'm going to try to start adding the major events into the story now. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.


	9. Loss

A/N: I am so sorry it has taken so long to get the next chapter up. My grandmother in law has been real bad sick lately. Then I had two friends of the family die about a week apart. I'm back now and I am going to try to get out at least a chapter a week. I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD OR THE WALKING DEAD UNIVERSE!

Chloe sat at her usual spot in the kitchen area and repeatedly gouged her oatmeal with her spoon. It was cold now. Had been for the last 45 minutes. Almost everyone else was done eating and going about their tasks for the day. She still sat there playing with the oatmeal. Her mind was in another place. It was back in a cell on the upper level late at night.

Thinking about it caused the ache in her groin to throb anew. She rubbed her legs together to try to sate the ache. It didn't work. It never did. A sigh escaped and she pushed her oatmeal away with the intentions of getting up and starting her chores for the day. Today she was going to begin scrubbing out the room she had picked out for a school room. She really didn't need to be in a hurry. She only had four kids. Carl, Jackie, and Janie, and Judith. Jackie and Janie would be easy to take care of for a few years. Judith wouldn't need anything for a few years then she could reuse the things from Jackie and Janie. Carl she was going to need some more textbooks for.

She looked up when she heard someone clearing their throat. Daryl stood on the other side of the table watching her. "I was startin' to wonder if that oatmeal had grown legs. I've been watchin' you for about ten minutes now."

A blush stole across her cheeks. Had she really stared at it for ten minutes after standing up? "Did you need something?"

"Maggie said you needed to talk to me." He raised one eyebrow at her.

"Oh. Yes. I heard from Hershel that you and your brother were going hunting today. I wanted to see if you could look through any buildings you run across for me. I need some more school supplies. Textbooks, paper, pencils, crayons, markers. Anything along those lines. I have a few workbooks I managed to get out of my school with but I need more. Carl is a very sharp boy. I doubt I'll have enough to teach him for the next year let alone until he turns 18." She had adopted her school marm tone and was addressing him like she would the principal at her old school.

"You think Carl needs to be in school until he's 18? In this world? You gotta be trippin. He needs to be learning how to shoot and use a knife." Daryl was leaning forward slightly now.

"Yes. I agree that he need to know how to defend himself and the rest of us. However, this plague isn't going to last forever. We are going to need educated men and women to carry on once things settle down." She had her arms crossed across her chest.

"Just give in baby brother. Red here is a little hell cat. When she gets started up there aint no stoppin her." Merle stood in the doorway from the outside smirking at Chloe.

"I don't need your help! I was handling your brother just fine on my own." Chloe snapped at him. She made a frustrated little noise. "Either look or don't. I'm done here." She took her oatmeal and slammed it down in the sink and went to the cell block. She could hear Merle's laughter follow her.

"What do you want with her Merle?" Daryl asked his brother as they trudged through the forest. He had his bow raised in case anything made it's way across his path.

"What you talking bout? What do I want from who?" Merle followed slightly behind Daryl. He had his gun propped up on his shoulder.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about." Daryl lowered his bow to look at his brother.

"Red? Yeah Red's a sweet thang." Merle smirked to himself. Thinking about her brought back memories of the night before last.

"What do you want with her Merle?" Daryl repeated a little more forcefully.

"What's it any of your business brother? If I want to push her up against a wall and thrust into her with my... lower your damn bow." Merle back was rigid as he began lowering his gun from his shoulder. "You fucking know better than to draw your weapon on me."

"Don't you talk about her like that. She's a lady. DO YOU HEAR ME MERLE? She's a Lady. She's worth more than you or I will ever be. She got a college education and made something of herself." Daryl inched his bow closer to Merle's face.

Merle smirked slightly then dropped his gun and punched Daryl all in one swift motion. Daryl's head snapped back. He came back with a punch of his own. Merle blocked and shoved Daryl away from him. Daryl reached for his bow that had landed at his feet. Merle grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked on it. It ripped, revealing several ugly scars on his back. "I'm sorry man. I didn't know he was gonna do that."

"Yeah you did." Daryl pulled the remains of his shirt together as best he could. "He don't the same to you and that's why you left."

"I had to man. I had to or I would've killed him." Merle was still staring at the ripped shirt and the scars beneath.

"Whatever. I'm going back." Daryl grabbed his bow and started back towards he prison.

Chloe sat on the edge of the girls' bed, wiggling her toes for the kittens to play with. She wished she has some purple finger nail polish so she could paint her nails. The little calico wobbled it's way around her legs to bite at her hand. Chloe picked it up and cuddles it under her chin. "What are we going to do about him, Lacey? You're a boy. You should understand him. No, that's not fair. You aren 't like him at all. You're all soft and cuddly." He began purring. The other two abandoned her toes and demanded their turn of cuddles. She picked them all up and cuddled them together. Nothing like sweet, cuddly kittens to lighten the mood.

She sat them down on the floor so they could explore and slipped back in to her shoes. She really needed to get the girls in and work on their lessons. Afterwards they were going to help Carol make dinner. She stepped over the kittens and out into the cell block. She cocked her head to the side. Was that a gun shot? They hadn't said anything about target practicing today. Gun shots began sounding in rapid succession and she quickened her pace. Something wasn't right and her girls were out there in the middle of it.

She opened the door to the outside to see Carol hiding underneath a body. The blonde guy. She didn't waste time trying to remember his name. She flattened out on the concrete and began searching frantically for the girls. There! They were behind the bleachers with Beth and Carl. Janie was bawling and Jackie and holding onto her tight. They all made a mad dash towards a wall. Beth was doing her best to keep the girls out of the line of fire. Carl turned around the corner and fired at the guy that had managed to get into the tower.

Tears were streaming down Chloe's face. She just knew she was going to loose the girls or Zachary. Zachary! She scanned around quickly and found him down in front of the overturned bus with Michonne. He was safe for now then. Maggie jumped over top of her and dashed into the prison and right back out with several guns. She managed to get two to Beth and then get behind cover. Shortly after, Carol made a mad dash to join Beth, Carl and the girls.

The gun fire suddenly ceased. A delivery truck crashed through the outer gate and screeched to a halt. Biters began pouring out the back of it. Chloe put her face down and began sobbing. Zachary was down there with those biters! She looked back up when the gun fire resumed. The attackers were leaving. Rick was outside the fence! She jumped up and ran over to the girls and hugged them to her.

"I got the girls. You all go help Rick!" She had the girls hugged to her, sobbing.

Carol, Maggie, and Carl ran out the inner gate and began shooting at the biters. Chloe just buried her face in the girls' hair.

Axel was dead. That was the blonde guys name that Carol had used for a shield. The field was no over run with Biters. Glen had made it back just in time to load up Hershel who had been at the fence talking to Rick. Michonne and Zachary had helped get him in the truck and back to safety. Rick had almost been a goner. If Daryl and Merle hadn't shown back up when they did, he wouldn't be here.

They all stood around the freshly dug grave and stared at it. While an attack had been anticipated, they hadn't planned on loosing anyone. Beth took the girls by the hands and led them in to the prison with the promise of a snack. Tears filled Chloe's eyes and she looked up to see Zachary watching her. She took a step towards him, then another. Over his shoulder she could see Merle. She changed her destination and walked straight into Merle's arms. She tucked her face into his neck and wrapped her arms around his waste. She missed the smirk that he gave Zachary.


	10. Guilty

A/N: I do not own the walking dead or the walking dead universe.

I do want to thank all my readers for being patient with me. There will some good smut at the end of this chapter. So if you don't like it then don't read. 3

* * *

Chloe woke with a start. She looked around for the source of the noise. It was mostly dark with little rays of moonlight filtering from the windows across the walkway. It must be after midnight. She heard it again. She sat up and tilted her head sideways. It sounded like whispering. She spotted to two little dark shapes next to bed. "Girls?"

"Janie has to go potty, Momma Chloe." Jackie whispered.

Chloe relaxed. "Okay. I'll take you all." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and started to get up.

"Where ya going Red?" Merle asked gruffly from the bed behind her.

"I'm taking the girls to potty." Chloe turned to look down at him. She could barely see his face but she blushed anyways. The last couple of nights she's been stealing away to his bed after everyone else had went to sleep. She just didn't want to be alone after the attack on the prison. They hadn't made love again yet. She just liked to curl up next to Merle. She felt safe when he put his arms around her.

"Well hurry back Sugar. Daddy's got a surprise for you." Merle thrust his hips just to get his point across.

Chloe sighed. "Merle. The girls are right here." She grabbed each little girl by the hand and led them out of the cell. They met Carl at the door to the eating area. He let them in so they could go to the room designated for the bathroom.

Chloe was tucking the girls back in before either of them spoke again. "Is Merle our daddy now?" Janie asked.

"What makes you ask that?" Chloe sat on the side of the bed. She was careful not to sit on the kittens.

"Well he told you that 'Daddy has a surprise for you.' You are our Momma Chloe. So that must make him our Daddy Mr. Merle." Janie cuddled her kitten to her.

Chloe blushed slightly. "Well. No. He's not your daddy. You can keep calling him Mr. Merle." She leaned down and placed a kiss on each of their foreheads.

"Why can't he be our daddy? Don't you like him?" Jackie had the other two kittens curled up next to her.

"I like Mr. Merle very much. It's just very complicated. Now go to sleep." She tucked the covers around them and petted each of the kittens.

As she was on her way out the door she hear Janie whisper to Jackie, "I hope Mr. Merle is our daddy. We've never had a daddy before. I like Mr. Merle."

* * *

Merle watched her. She was graceful in everything she did. Right now she was sitting at a table with both her girls while she held the baby. She was talking to the baby with that baby voice all females seem to possess. The baby would smile and coo back at her. She was good with kids then. Not that he ever wanted kids. With the way his bastard of a father messed him and Daryl up there was no way he wanted to mess up a kid of his own.

She looked up at him and smiled. She seemed to be happy with him again. About damn time too. He didn't know how much longer he could have put up with those glares she sent his way. He wasn't even sure what the hell they were about. She had seemed to like their love making. She hadn't said no. Maybe it was the fact that he had taken her virginity. Most women were sentimental about things like that.

Just thinking about it made him hard. The last few nights with her in his bed had been pure torture. He wanted to love her up real nice. He nodded back to her and turned to walk to the door. He was going to tell Rick he would take this guard. Sitting up in that tower alone would be a lot better than watching Red.

"Merle." He stiffened and let out a little sigh. He turned to look at her. She was still holding the baby in her arms.

"I thought you didn't want none of them to know we was together? You're quick enough to get back to your own bed before daylight." He whispered loudly at her.

"Merle. You know I do that just to keep the gossip down and to keep my brother for going crazy." She cuddled the baby up to her chest. She looked hurt at him again.

"Yeah. Well. It don't matter. Not like I want all these people in my personal business anyway." He shifted slightly away from. He was still hard as rock.

"You going up on watch?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah." He glanced back at her.

"Can I... Will you be in the tower?" She was blushing a pretty shade of pink.

"As a matter of fact, I will be. You wanna join me?" He sneered at her a little.

"Yes." She blushed even brighter. "I'll be there in a little bit." She turned and walked off with the baby.

Merle watched her retreating back to the girls. She sat down and returned talking to Judith. He noticed her glancing up at him though. She looked real nice when she blushed. He smirked to himself and went out the door.

* * *

Chloe watched him leave. She buried her face in Judith's cuddly little body. She'd been waiting on him to take watch again. She didn't want to risk making love to him again now that the girls knew where she went to each night. The last thing she needed was one of them walking in on them. She looked up to see Carol watching her. She got up and made her way to Carol.

"You feeling okay? Your face looks flushed." Carol took Judith from her.

"I'm fine. I just... I have a favor to ask." She paused to look around behind her. No one else was in the room but the girls. "I need a condom." She mumbled.

Carol looked at her for a moment. She was rocking Judith. "You and Merle..." Chloe nodded. "I don't think that's a good idea, Chloe. He's not good for you."

"How is he not good for me Carol? He's a wonderful guy. He's caring, strong, handsome." She looked down at her shoes. "We've already done it once."

"Chloe!" Carol reach out and touched her arm. "Does anyone else know?"

"No. Don't you dare tell them either!" Chloe pleaded with her. "Please. I like him. I'm pretty sure he likes me. He makes me feel... all melty inside. And Safe. He makes me feel safe." She smiled.

Carol studied her. She did seem happy. She reach into her back pocket with one hand and pulled out a condom wrapper. "Here. If you all are going to do it, you might as well be safe. Just be careful. Merle is... he's Merle. He knows how to take advantage of any situation."

Chloe took the wrapper and placed it in her pocket. "He doesn't take advantage of me. Thank you for caring though, Carol." She placed a kiss on Judith's forehead and then went back to the girls. "Now girls. I'm going to be busy for a while. Beth has promised to watch you for me though. She's in her room. She'll read to you and play games." She watched them get up and run to Beth's cell.

* * *

Merle sat staring out over the field of Biters. Right down there in the corner close to where he had saved Rick's ass was where he had first kissed that little spitfire. He still thought about that kiss. It had been on hell of a kiss. She had been even better making love. She was so innocent and responsive. Nothing at all like the kind of women Merle usually visited.

A noise behind him had him turning about to face her. She stood there at the door as if asking permission. She hesitated, unsure of whether she was doing the right thing. He sat his gun down and motioned to her. She went straight into his arms and he pressed his lips to hers. He didn't start out soft and work his way to a deeper kiss. No. He pulled her down into his lap and kissed her deeply, running his tongue across her lips. She parted her lips with a sigh.

Merle ran his hand up her back. He pulled back from the kiss to look at her. "You little minx. Where's your bra at? Or did you come here prepared for another round of Merle's sausage?"

"I...um..." She blushed scarlet and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Here now. Stand up." He pushed her off his lap and made her stand. "Now strip for me, Darlin'. Show me that beautiful body of yours." He leaned back and crossed his arms. He stared at her. His eyes roamed from her scarlet face down to her bouncing breasts. He watched as she curled her fingers under the edge of her shirt.

She slowly lifter the shirt upwards. There was small resistance when it came to her breasts but they they popped free. Just as he though, there was no bra containing those wonderful mounds of flesh. She pulled the shirt over her head and dropped it to the ground. Her gaze met his briefly before darting away. She began pushing her shorts down her legs, careful to leave her panties in place. Merle sucked in a deep breath and her shorts hit the floor. There she stood in nothing but this little lacy pink pair of panties that barely covered anything. His erection began to throb.

Chloe made her way back to Merle's lap and straddled him. The blush was still present in her cheeks. She squeaked a little as Merle's arm went around her and his hand grabbed a hold of her breast. He began to message it while pulling her body to him. He pressed his lips back over hers as a moan escaped her lips. She felt his manhood flex against her. Another moan escaped as she remembered the pleasure it had brought last time. A idea popped into her head. "Merle..." She moaned out as he moved his lips to her neck.

"Yeah Sugar?" He lightly nibbled her neck while still massaging her breast.

"Can I... May I put my mouth on it?" She asked shyly

Merle instantly stilled. He pulled back and stared into her eyes. "You want to put your mouth on my cock?" She nodded. "Sugar, with the way you got me riled up, I'm afraid if you put your mouth on me I might explode on contact. Best wait 'till another time. Right now, I want to bury this cock deep in that pretty little pussy of yours."

"Please." Chloe pressed her lips against his. She rocked her hips back and forth slightly. The effect was immediately noticeable.

Merle pushed her back off of him and stood up. He grabbed a blanket from the corner and spread it on the the floor. He motioned for her to lay down while he took off his pants. He joined her a moment later. He placed himself between her legs and braced himself on his arms. He looked into her eyes as he used his hand to reach down and pull her panties to one side. He was right at her entrance with his cock when she cried out "Wait!"

He looked at her in surprise. "I have a condom." She blushed and reached for her short. She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to him. He looked in between them for a moment. He got her to open it then rolled it on himself. He pressed her back to the floor and repositioned himself.

He thrust in with one swift motion. A small cry from Chloe was the only sound she made. She opened her eyes to look up at him. Her eyes were filled with trust and she smiled at him. Merle's heart began to beat faster. He covered her mouth with his, resting most of his weight on his forearms. He began thrusting in and out of her slowly. He gained speed until he had to break the kiss to maintain control. Chloe was making husky little mewling sounds that went straight to his cock. He heard her cry out and felt her walls clenching around him and he followed her over. He spilled his seed into the condom, his energy draining. He collapsed to the side of her, his cock still in her. He arm was still around her.

She let out a contented sigh and snuggled closer to him. "Merle... that was..."

The door to the tower slammed open. The both jerked up and to see Zachary standing there. His face was flushed with rage, his eyes wide with disbelief. Chloe grabbed at her shorts and held them in front of her breasts.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER? You bastard! I told you never to touch her!" Zachary barreled at him as he began to stand. The two of them toppled to the floor behind Chloe.

Chloe began jerking her clothes on, mindful that Merle was still naked too. Tears began building in her eyes. "Zachary stop! STOP IT!" she screamed at them. It wasn't working. She heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and several bodies piled into the tower at once.

Daryl immediately went to help his brother. Rick ran to help Zachary. Maggie and Glen stared at the two wrestling bodies. Carol took hold of Chloe's arm and pulled her against her chest. She began stroking her hair and making soothing noises. They all watched and Rick and Daryl got the two pulled apart.

"I'll kill you! You son of a bitch! How dare you defile my sister! We never should have stayed here!" He jerked out of Rick's hold and turned on Chloe. "And you! What are you? A whore just like our mother?! You give it away to him in exchange for what? Food? A warm bed? Did he tell you he loved you and that he'd never hurt you? Just like dad did? You should know better."

Chloe stared at her brother, tears pouring down her face. "How could you say such things? Mother was a good woman. She did the best she could!"

"Right. Whatever. Pack your things. We're leaving." He shoved his way to the door and turned to look at her. She hadn't moved. "Fine. I'll give you a few days. I'm going out to gather things for us then I'll be back for you and the girls. You better be ready. There is no way I'm leaving you here this piece of trash." He glared in Merle's direction. He stomped out the tower and down the steps. Moments later they heard a car start up and the gate open. The gate closed again as the sounds of the engine faded down the road.

* * *

A/N: Drama! I figured out how I want the next part of the story to go. :) Hope you enjoyed the moment between Chloe and Merle. There will be more later on. There will be several shocking chapters to come. Once again, I am so sorry it's taken this long to get out a update. We had several deaths in the family and in our close friends. Then my husband and I moved and didn't have internet for two weeks. I won't make any promises this time but I hope to have another one out soon. I love you all!


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